Japan usually is one of the first countries to get their hands on new technology, but in the case of Skype for PSP, they weren't. There was a bit of a manufacturing problem with two of the associated microphone products, leaving Sony no choice but to delay the launch of the entire Skype feature set in Japan.
Today, Sony announced that the manufacturing issues have been resolved and Skype is set to hit the region on March 18, alongside a new firmware update to enable the feature on Japanese PSP units. Sony has never issued a firmware update exclusive to one region before, so we assume that the US and Europe will receive this update as well.
The standalone Skype microphone peripheral will be available the following day, March 19, for 2,500 yen. A two-piece set will also be available on the same day for 4,000 yen. Both products were originally due for a release in January.