Well, it could have been. I've been trying to remember where I saw it. I think it was from one of the slides at a Nintdendo presentation that Iwata was doing. I can't find it now. It was probably linked from a Japanese site.

You can still connect and shop and update.  Each update they threaten you with bricking modded systems, but Nintendo's never bricked anybody yet.  Mod at your own risk.

You could play japanese games without a mod chip. Its called homebrew.

I imagine a lot more could connect to the internet if the owners knew how easy it was.
If they have a wireless router it's virtually done, but like a family I know they had no idea it was possibe without a cable or how easy it would be.

Mine is!

True that, so true! I, too, know quite a few people who don't have a clue as to how easy it is to get their Wii online. The number off Wiis connected to the internet could be much higher! 

When Xbox360 had an install base was at around 8 million (USA) they claimed 10 million users were online at that point roughly they had around a 15 million install base World Wide. Which means roughly a 66% of their users were online.

I remember an editorial about it on this site - basically they ratioed that number to being. 1.6:1 between America and Other and well I'm not sure if Japan was counted into that picture. But I believe that ratio came from Microsoft claiming a majority of their online subscribers were Americans.

Of course I don't follow Microsoft's gaming section as much as I do their other facets so I'm speaking in speculation and just off the surface of my memory.

it was at that event when MH3 got announced for wii