Japanese Keyboard Layout.?

the keys are to toggle between roman script and kotoeri kana keys. Provided kotoeri (Japanese script) is installed on the mac, pressing the button on the right of the space bar means you're typing in hiragana. Press the left side button and you're in roman script (english etc). For a non-Japanese keyboard you have to change these by selecting from the drop down character menu, which is a pain, having keys right next to the space bar is much more convenient if you swop from kotoeri to romaji and back a lot.
In kotoeri, script appears as hiragana, or if you type pressing shift you get katakana. Press the space bar to change from kana to a selection of kanji, and return to select.

Hi

On the standard qwerty (English) keyboards those keys AFAIK have always been designated as the command keys. They usually have the half eaten apple logo on them.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1343

Tony

on a Japanese Keyboard layout what does the key on either side of the Spacebar do.?

These are special language input keys. This page provides some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languageinputkeys

On US keyboards that is the "command" key. It looks like this: ⌘

It's used for keyboard shortcuts such as: Command-Q ends the application with the current focus.

Cheers

so far found no use of those 2 keys.!

Do you know how to input Japanese text? If not, you will have no used for them.

Is your description different that was is provided in the link given earlier?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languageinputkeys