The Nikkei: KDDI To Start Offering The iPad Mini From November

The existence of a smaller version of the iPad hasn’t even been confirmed by Apple yet, but here is something fresh from the rumor mill in Japan: according to a report published in The Nikkei today, KDDI is currently “finalizing a deal” under which the company will start offering the “iPad Mini” from November. So… Continue reading The Nikkei: KDDI To Start Offering The iPad Mini From November

For $12.8 Million: Yahoo Japan Acquires Decopic Creator Community Factory

Acquisitions are relatively rare in Japan’s tech startup scene, but today Yahoo Japan caused a splash when the country’s biggest web company announced it acquired Tokyo-based Community Factory (which launched in 2006). TechCrunch Japan is reporting that the price stands at around 1 billion yen, which currently translates to US$12.8 million. Community Factory runs a… Continue reading For $12.8 Million: Yahoo Japan Acquires Decopic Creator Community Factory

Nico Nico Douga Hits 28 Million Users, Generates US$46 Million In Sales Last Quarter

Nico Nico Douga, Japan’s answer to YouTube, is still growing nicely, five years after launch. Dwango, the Tokyo-based company behind the popular service, released its financial report [PDF] for the last nine months (ending in June 2012). And according to the report, Nico Nico (the company’s most important asset) reached 28.08 million users in June.… Continue reading Nico Nico Douga Hits 28 Million Users, Generates US$46 Million In Sales Last Quarter

SoftBank Starts Using The 900MHz “Platinum Band”

There can be no doubt that SoftBank is the mobile carrier with the weakest network among Japan’s big three telcos, following that of NTT Docomo and KDDI. But now there is hope that things will finally change for the better. Back in March this year, the Japanese government decided to allocate the 900-megahertz band (also… Continue reading SoftBank Starts Using The 900MHz “Platinum Band”

Rakuten Starts Featuring Pinterest On Its Japanese Marketplace And Other Properties

Japan’s biggest e-commerce company Rakuten (US$15 billion market cap, about 80 million user accounts in Japan) has started featuring Pinterest on some of its biggest websites yesterday. Big R caused a major splash in back in May when it led a massive US$100 million investment in the American startup. Rakuten CEO Mikitani was quoted as… Continue reading Rakuten Starts Featuring Pinterest On Its Japanese Marketplace And Other Properties

Yahoo Japan Teams Up With Recipe Portal Cookpad

Yahoo Japan, the country’s biggest website with 1.6 billion page views per day, will enter a partnership with Cookpad, a popular recipe site, according to a report by business daily The Nikkei. Much like Yahoo in the US, Yahoo Japan runs a number of vertical services under its portal: one of them, Yahoo Recipe, will… Continue reading Yahoo Japan Teams Up With Recipe Portal Cookpad

Dentsu Buys 15% Stake In Tokyo-Based Web Company Kakaku.Com

Tokyo-based Dentsu, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, today announced [JP, PDF] it has acquired 15.06% of Kakaku.com, Japan’s largest price comparison site and community (all Kakaku-related articles on Asiajin, my very early review of the site from 2007). The eponymous company behind the service is currently listed at the Tokyo Stock… Continue reading Dentsu Buys 15% Stake In Tokyo-Based Web Company Kakaku.Com

“PayPal Here”: SoftBank And PayPal Join Forces In Japan For Smartphone Payment Solution

PayPal President David Marcus, eBay CEO John Donahoe (PayPal is an eBay brand), and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced “PayPal Here” in Tokyo today, a payment solution for smartphones. This is huge news for PayPal’s Japan unit, which has been operating in this country for years but hasn’t achieved the success it has seen in… Continue reading “PayPal Here”: SoftBank And PayPal Join Forces In Japan For Smartphone Payment Solution

Event: J-Geek Vol. 2 To Take Place In Shibuya, Tokyo On May 17

If you consider yourself an Akiba pop culture geek and happen to live in Japan, then the so-called “J-Geek vol.2 International AKIBA POP Presents: ~ANIME★OLD SCHOOL!!~” event on May 17 in Shibuya should be right for you. (The first event took place in march this year.) Organized by Saeki Kenzo from Tokyo-based PearlNet, the event… Continue reading Event: J-Geek Vol. 2 To Take Place In Shibuya, Tokyo On May 17

Movatwitter Has A New Owner: jig.jp Buys Twitter Client Operator Mindscope

Tokyo-based mobile tech company jig.jp today announced it acquired Mindscope, the startup behind popular Twitter client movatwitter. movatwitter is Japanese-only, web-based and as such usable across various platforms, including smartphones, feature phones, the PC or handheld consoles like the Sony Vita or the Nintendo 3DS. Around 2009, Twitter’s official Japanese top page featured the app… Continue reading Movatwitter Has A New Owner: jig.jp Buys Twitter Client Operator Mindscope