Playing Skyrim in Japan

This will only be relevant to a minority of Steam users, but I just found out that only the Japanese version of Skyrim will be available for those with a Japanese IP. I don't mind waiting an extra month for it to come out (release date 12/8), but now I find out I can't even buy it in English. My options are:

1. Play in Japanese (won't understand it)

2. Import it (more expensive)

3. Pirate it

I am willing to pay money for this product, but Steam is preventing me from doing so. Can someone explain international licensing to me and tell me why this is a profitable strategy?