Shoutbox

Hi all,

I'm having a problem seeing japanese symbols in messenger live.
For example:
I can type and see:   ありがとう
but not:  ☆
If I type ☆, it shows up as a white box.

Only when I close the chat window, reopen it with the same contact, and view the conversation history, then the star shows up.
Why is this, and how can I fix it?

I have already reinstalled the japanese ime and ticked the east asian language installation box in the regional and language options.

*edit: ok, so the characters don't show up... but I can read and see characters in the chat window, but not symbols.