I'm set on getting an Xbox One someday, but I still have some questions as to how the TV experience of the console is working for the Japanese consoles. I've looked at the Xbox website and it lists split screen TV viewing as a feature, great. The press shots of the console also appear to show the Japanese version to have identical ports to the US version. So does the TV turner / split screen viewing work just as it does in the US?

I saw a support article on having to use the IR blaster, and I assume I'd have to have a box that outputs HDMI. At the moment I just have the cable from the wall going straight into the TV. My TV doesn't have HDMI out, so I might have to find a box to convert the free over-the-air signal to HDMI. Even then does it support the guide functionality like my TV where I can view the schedule for past and upcoming shows?

What it has is an HDMI port that acts as a throughput. Anything you plug into it's HDMI IN will display through the Xbox One's "TV" feature.

It sounds like you need a new cable media setup or display before a new console, or to cut the cable for good!