TOKYO—When selling car navigation systems, Japanese retailer
Autobacs touts a special add-on: kits that convert the mapping
gadgets into televisions, so drivers can watch their favorite
shows.  "Even While Driving—Enables Digital Viewing and
Navigation Operation," boasts the package of one kit resting
atop new navigation systems in a Tokyo store. Boxes of other
converters show "before" and "after" images of a navigation
screen transformed into a TV depicting a soccer game broadcast.
Most new Japanese-market auto navigation systems come with a
built-in TV tuner. That means drivers can watch their favorite
shows live, whenever they're on the go. But how safe are they?
WSJ's Chester Dawson reports.  "We can't help but respond to our
customers' needs," says Yasunari Shiino, a spokesman for
Autobacs Seven Co. Ltd., which operates some 550 auto-parts
stores across Japan. "This does not mean we're recommending it,"
he said, of a practice that could be called DWW or Driving While
Watching. "Drivers need to make thei