Tagrakuten

E-books are a hot topic in Japan currently: Tokyo-based market research firm Impress R&D is saying that Japan’s e-book market grew 13.2% to 65 billion yen in 2010 and projects the market to be worth 200 billion in 2015. Now it seems that Rakuten is looking to get a piece of the pie: the...

Japan’s e-commerce juggernaut Rakuten and the country’s 2nd largest telco KDDI au have announced a strategic linkup focused on electronic money today. Under the agreement, Rakuten’s Edy electronic money system will be combined with KDDI au’s mobile checkout infrastructure...

Rakuten is continuing its aggressive internationalization: the company today created a special section on Thailand’s leading e-commerce site, TARAD.com (which Rakuten took over in 2009), that allows Japanese users to buy Thai products – in Japanese, directly from Thailand-based merchants...

Rakuten apparently believes in the future of e-books: the company announced they have reached an agreement with Sony, Panasonic, and major book retailer Kinokuniya to cooperate in the development of an industry standard for e-books in Japan. The goal is to do away with barriers that exist between...

Rakuten isn’t stopping: after building up presences in North America, all parts of Asia, and Europe, it’s now South America’s turn. Japan’s biggest e-commerce company has bought a 75% stake in Ikeda, a Sao-Paolo-based e-retailer. Further details weren’t disclosed...

Indonesia isn’t enough: Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Japan’s largest online retailer Rakuten said at a press conference in Jakarta yesterday that after entering Indonesia, his company wants to expand to other countries in the South East Asia. Mikitani singled out the Philippines and...