Apple’s iPad Mini had a good run as the top dog but consumers in Japan have spoken with their pocketbooks and choosen the ASUS Nexus 7 tablet as their top choice. The Nexus 7 started shipping back in July for $200 and people are taking notice that it is the best bang for their buck when it comes to specifications and pricing.

Nikkei cites market research firm BCN from 2,400 stores across Japan which suggests that the 7″ tablet accounted for 44.4% of all tablet sales in the region.  The iPad Mini was said to account for 40.1%  which puts it in second place.

The big question is if what’s happening in Japan will happen elsewhere, there was actually a recent report that predicted the iPad will dip below 50 percent tablet market share worldwide in mid-2013.