^THIS
Unless someone links to a piece of reliable information stating they're region locking this bitch, you're just doing speculative reporting/trolling that they are gonna lock it. They didn't region lock the PSP version despite the ability being there to do so. Honestly they're not going to with the PS3 version, and no game previously on the PS3 has been region locked. Idolm@ster has escaped Japan before without region lock, even if it was just portable versions, they're not going to try and hide the game now. The only region locks that have been placed on the series have been due to the hardware (Xbox360 region locked & the DS version having locks on the DSi enhanced features). The only thing your PS3 won't play will just be the anime that ships with the limited edition bundle.
If I recall correctly, region lock was demonstrated with one PSP game. It's somewhere in storage, but such capacity does exist. It's an obscure (and not particularly good) PSP title. I might pull it out sometime and take a screencap.
As well, there are also some games (FFVI or was it IV) which would detect your PSP and set the default language accordingly and automatically, and all UMDs report a region (Which is important for UMD video, which ARE region locked and consequently why all UMDs can force the PSP to report)
As well, I need to check if the Macross Game/BR movie is subject to region encoding. It's a unique hybird, where the game AND the movie are on the one disc.
The last note is that ALL Blue-ray discs are region encoded. This won't matter too much unless you're outside the US as Japan shares the same general region code, with a couple of technical differences as the US region coding. Check the side of the PS3's box sometime, but yes, it matters, and yes, I read the technical brief Sony provided to developers concerning the firmware (Which they need to when they provide firmware on the disc.)
In all cases, they are not enforced because these have to be turned on by developer. (In the X360's case, it's pretty much the same - you can enable it at will, or force the region check to happen.)
I'm used to curveballs and all sorts of oddball statements being made from various internal sources. (I'm a freelance journalist of about what,11 years? When I mean I step or lean on people, I really do mean it.) For operational reasons I don't present it as more than conjecture since it protects them. Namely, I don't like my contacts getting fired. (And I nearly got one of them fired by accidently noting the Atelier Totori release three months before I should have. Long story.)
I guess it's mostly a case of 'Don't celebrate until it arrives in your hands and works as advertised.' I've been subject to series of promises that, well, don't pan out.
All that being said? Odds aren't that high. Thing is, Namco Bandai have well, been known to be absolutely evil. The capacity's there, and they would have been briefed on it. Will they? I haven't heard anything yet. I'll continue my counsel.
