Japan’s Top Search Keywords in 2010 By Yahoo! Japan

It is a year-end buzzword ranking season. Yahoo! Japan, Japan’s most popular search portal, though the backend search engine has been gradually switching to Google’s one (everyday more people report that their search results are the similar with the Google’s results), eventually gets the highest number of search volume in Japanese. Yahoo! Japan just released… Continue reading Japan’s Top Search Keywords in 2010 By Yahoo! Japan

Japanese Social Network Update With Quarterly Reports

The ranking by registered users keeps the same. Or, maybe DeNA is passing Mixi by population as Mixi’s number has October adding included. Gree: 22.46 million (at 2010-09-30, by 1Q report [pdf, J]) Mixi: 21.90 million (at 2010-10-31, mentioned on Socialphone release [J]) DeNA(Mobage Town): 21.67 million (at 2010-09-30, by 2Q report [pdf, J]) See… Continue reading Japanese Social Network Update With Quarterly Reports

Gree To Take Several Percent Stake In Singapore’s SMS/IM-based Social Network Mig33

Japan’s third largest social network GREE[J] announced today they would invest in Mig33 (by Project Goth, Inc.) who is a SMS and IM text messaging-based social network platform in Singapore.   GREE plans to invest several million US dollars in Mig33’s series C round and to acquire several percent stake.   This will be the first ever… Continue reading Gree To Take Several Percent Stake In Singapore’s SMS/IM-based Social Network Mig33

Gree Now Allows iPhone/Softbank Users To Register

Japan’s largest social networking service Gree today announced [J] that their recently released iPhone version now added a “registration” feature today on September 30th. On Gree iPhone version website, which started as Beta in August, now you can become a member of Gree network. Unfortunately, it does not mean that iPhone users in other countries… Continue reading Gree Now Allows iPhone/Softbank Users To Register

Lots Of Popular Names Leaves And Joins Happens This Month

We reported that a Japanese web geeks’ icon Naoya Ito’s move on September 1st from Hatena to the No.1 social networking service Gree, but he was not the only one. There are several big names reported to leave and/or enter web/IT companies in Japan around the beginning of September 2010. Poupee Girl CEO Yoshimi Morinaga,… Continue reading Lots Of Popular Names Leaves And Joins Happens This Month

WISH2010 Event Report – Panel Discussion by Heads Of Gree, Mixi And Twitter’s Japan Operation

Agile Media Network, a Tokyo-based marketing company using blog and word-of-mouth media and led by A-list blogger Motohiko Tokuriki who also serves an adviser for Asiajin, held the second edition of annual tech and social media conference WISH in Roppongi this weekend.  550 attendees joined. The event started with a panel discussion titled “How Japanese… Continue reading WISH2010 Event Report – Panel Discussion by Heads Of Gree, Mixi And Twitter’s Japan Operation

7 Out Of Top 10 Mobile Sites Used For Child Prostitution Ensured By The Self-Regulating Organization EMA

A police leak about child prostitution over non-dating websites includes statistics that implies self-regulation of big mobile web companies are not working as expected, Mainichi reported [J]. In 2009, 1,136 minors under the age 18 were involved by violence of ordinance on juvenile protection, the law banning child prostitution and child pornography. 716 of them,… Continue reading 7 Out Of Top 10 Mobile Sites Used For Child Prostitution Ensured By The Self-Regulating Organization EMA

Dwango Enters Engineer Hiring Race With OSS Community Grant

Following to the 20 million users social gaming networks Gree and DeNA’s hiring competition with over $20,000 rewards for engineers beginning 4 days ago, Dwango [J] (Asiajin), who has much longer history on Japanese cellphone game, also known by their Japanese YouTube counter movie community Nico Nico Douga [J] (Asiajin), announced their new rewards plan… Continue reading Dwango Enters Engineer Hiring Race With OSS Community Grant

Gree And DeNA Competition Heats Up: Both Announce Cash Rewards To New Employees

DeNA, who runs Mobage Town, one of Japan’s most successful social networks, sparked a hiring war yesterday to post their new incentive reward [J]. On the announcement, DeNA tells they will pay extra 2 million yen($23,400) besides annual salary to newly hired engineers who directly applied via their website and is approved between August 15th… Continue reading Gree And DeNA Competition Heats Up: Both Announce Cash Rewards To New Employees