user-ja is a package for Debian GNU/Linux system which makes basic settings for Japanese-speaking users.
Now I am developping internationalized version of user-ja --- it is called language-env. Thus I have finished to develop user-ja package other than bug-fix and Debian GNU/Linux 2.2 (potato) will be the last version which includes user-ja package. Please check this page.
user-ja establishes basic Japanese-displaying/inputting environment by adding lines to dotfiles. It does not modify system-wide settings (for example, /etc directory). A user has to invoke user-ja-conf to set up his/her personal Japanese environment.
On invoking user-ja-conf, it checks whether Japanese characters (Kanji) can be displayed or not. If yes, it will use native Japanese messages hereafter; if no, it try to invoke 'kon' (in Linux console) or 'kterm' (in X Window System) to establish Japanese-character-displayable environment. If it fails, it will use Japanese messages written in Latin alphabets.
Next, user-ja-conf checks whether three Japanese input methods (Canna, Wnn, and SKK) are installed or not and asks the user which input method (s)he will use. Because there may be no installed input methods when (s)he invokes user-ja-conf, non-installed input method can be selected.
Then user-ja-conf asks the user whether each dot-files should be modified or not. The modification is done by adding lines. The added lines are surrounded by delimiter lines. Thus the surrounded lines are replaced when the user invokes user-ja-conf again.
Here are examples of what the added lines do:
user-ja is included in the Add-On Packages for Debian GNU/Linux version 2.1 (nickname: slink) which is distributed by Debian JP Project.
Debian GNU/Linux version 2.2 (nickname: potato) includes user-ja.
In the next version of Debian GNU/Linux (nickname: woody), user-ja will be internationalized and support not only Japanese but also several languages. The software is called language-env and here is the web page of language-env.