Steve Kubien
>Before I start let me state that I have very little knowledge about steel (ok, almost none). If you were to do this I would be concerned about the shape of Japanese teeth being too weak for the rigors of western sawing. If you've got the slightest tendenacy to bear down on the saw, I would worry about breaking off those thin little teeth.

Again, don't know if this has any validity. If you are serious about this, I would go with Dan's suggestion and sell it on eBay (or something similar). You'll get most of your money back.

Regards,
Steve Kubien