January 26, 2026

Rakuten Securities will hold "Gather from All Over the Country! - Rakuten Securities NISA Festival 2026-"!
- Held on NISA Day, an online event where you can participate in the virtual space "NISA Land"

https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/company/newsrelease/fy2026.html

 

Banijay Kids & Family Secures New Deal with Rakuten TV

27 January, 2026

Banijay Kids & Family, a global leader in children’s entertainment, behind hit shows such as Totally Spies! and Mr Bean: The Animated Series, today announces a new content partnership with Rakuten TV, bringing some of its most popular titles to audiences across Europe.

Under the agreement, Rakuten TV will license multiple seasons of LoliRock and Totally Spies!, expanding the reach of Banijay Kids & Family’s iconic IPs to fans in key territories. The deal includes LoliRock series 1 and 2 for the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Italy. It also covers Totally Spies! series 1 and 2, for the UK, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. Additionally, Totally Spies! series 3 and 4 will be available across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Banijay Kids & Family’s dedicated digital division oversees the company’s operations across Amazon, YouTube, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, VOD and FAST platforms. With a portfolio of iconic and globally loved brands such as Totally Spies!, and managing high-profile third-party IP, its digital network features 220+ channels, generating 500+ million monthly views, 2.25 billion minutes streamed, and reaching 1.5 billion users each month.

https://www.banijay.com/blog/2026/01/27/...-new-deal-with-rakuten-tv/

 

January 26, 2026

Rakuten Securities will hold "Gather from All Over the Country! - Rakuten Securities NISA Festival 2026-"!
- Held on NISA Day, an online event where you can participate in the virtual space "NISA Land"

https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/company/newsrelease/fy2026.html
 

Rakuten Securities Posts Strong Profit Growth in Fiscal 2025

Story Highlight

Rakuten Securities, a key Rakuten Group brokerage unit, reported robust 2025 profit growth.
Rising revenues and earnings underscore the subsidiary’s strengthening role in Rakuten Group’s results.

Rakuten Securities, Inc. reported strong growth for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, with operating revenue rising to ¥158.3 billion and net income increasing to ¥21.7 billion, up from ¥130.1 billion and ¥16.1 billion, respectively, in the previous year. The improved profitability, seen in higher operating and ordinary income, underscores the subsidiary’s expanding contribution to Rakuten Group’s overall financial performance ahead of the parent company’s consolidated results announcement in February 2026, and highlights the robustness of its securities business under Japan’s uniform industry accounting standards.

https://www.tipranks.com/news/...-strong-profit-growth-in-fiscal-2025
 

Value of 31 million AST-shares is about $ 3.8 billion, owned by Rakuten

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS)
121.23+9.89(+8.88%) At close: 4:00:01 PM EST 122.28+1.05(+0.87%)
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ASTS/

If you divide this $ 3.8 billion through the 2.15 billion outstanding shares of Rakuten = $ 1.76 for every share.

I am sure, that this amount of $ 1.76 is not antizipated in the actual share-price of Rakuten.


 

Rakuten Mobile verifies Intel Xeon 6 processor with E-cores on Rakuten Cloud

Via Rakuten Mobile

Jan 29, 2026

- Reduces power consumption by approximately 30% while maintaining equivalent throughput to commercially deployed platforms

Tokyo – Rakuten Mobile, Inc., in collaboration with Intel, today announced verification of Intel Xeon 6 processor with E-cores, in preparation for commercial deployment in its 5G core network (5GC). The verification used containerized 5GC applications, deployed on Rakuten Symphony’s Rakuten Cloud*4 solution.

During the performance verification, Xeon 6 maintained a throughput of 30 Gbps, while simultaneously reducing power consumption by approximately 30%, compared to previous generations. This performance-per-watt advancement can enable improved energy efficiency, lower operational costs and advance sustainability goals without compromising performance.

With up to 144 power-efficient computing cores, Xeon 6 is well-suited for microservices-based 5GC architectures that simultaneously run numerous lightweight containers. This allows efficient resource allocation for control plane functions, such as mobility management and authentication, as well as for data transfer processing like voice, video and application communications, adapting flexibly to fluctuating loads.

https://www.telecomtv.com/content/...-e-cores-on-rakuten-cloud-54741/

 

Rakuten Mobile Verifies Intel Xeon 6 Processor with E-cores on Rakuten Cloud, Targeting 5G Core Commercial Deployment
- Reduces power consumption by approximately 30% while maintaining equivalent throughput to commercially deployed platforms

Tokyo, January 29, 2026 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc., in collaboration with Intel, today announced verification of Intel Xeon 6 processor with E-cores*1, in preparation for commercial deployment in its 5G core network (5GC). The verification used containerized 5GC applications*2-3, deployed on Rakuten Symphony’s Rakuten Cloud*4 solution.

During the performance verification, Xeon 6 maintained a throughput of 30 Gbps, while simultaneously reducing power consumption by approximately 30%, compared to previous generations*5. This performance-per-watt advancement can enable improved energy efficiency, lower operational costs and advance sustainability goals without compromising performance.

With up to 144 power-efficient computing cores, Xeon 6 is well-suited for microservices-based 5GC architectures that simultaneously run numerous lightweight containers. This allows efficient resource allocation for control plane functions, such as mobility management and authentication, as well as for data transfer processing like voice, video and application communications, adapting flexibly to fluctuating loads.

Rakuten Mobile's fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network leverages container technology for its 4G and 5G network infrastructure, adopting a microservices approach for network development. The network also adheres to Open RAN standards, supporting multi-vendor connectivity. Drawing on the company’s experience in commercially deploying cloud-native platforms and applications globally, Rakuten Mobile collaborated with Intel to conduct this performance verification of the processor for mobile communication. By conducting this verification within a containerized 5GC environment, Rakuten Mobile confirmed the processor’s ability to enable power-efficient network operations within telecom clouds.  

Going forward, Rakuten Mobile plans to deploy Xeon 6 across hardware in its 5GC. Looking ahead, Rakuten Mobile will also explore leveraging this technology for multi-access edge computing (MEC) to reduce latency and enhance performance, including edge cloud deployment in regional data centers.
Ryota Mibu, General Manager, Rakuten Mobile’s Telecommunication Cloud Platform Department, commented, "Our integration of container technology into Rakuten Mobile’s cloud-native mobile network has driven significant operational efficiencies. Now, by deploying this processor with its numerous power-efficient e-cores into our commercial environment, we expect a substantial boost in both power efficiency and processing capability for our microservices-based 5GC. We will continue to champion innovative technological development, contributing to the evolution of next-generation mobile networks."

Through strategic collaborations with partners like Intel, Rakuten Mobile remains committed to introducing advanced technologies that reduce environmental impact and optimize network operations, providing customers with a high-quality, stable and sustainable communication experience.

https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/...20260129_01_lang_en


 

Rakuten Capital Investor: My $20M Mistake & Why Chinese AI Models Are Winning

January 23, 2026

Saemin from Rakuten Capital shares hard-earned lessons from 15 years of investing, including a $20 million mistake that taught him the difference between leading and lagging indicators. In this finteractionpodcast we discuss why Chinese open source AI models are reshaping the industry, how LLMs will disrupt SaaS retention, and why stablecoins matter to governments as much as crypto enthusiasts. Semin also explains the geopolitical complexities of investing across borders in robotics, aerospace, and AI infrastructure. This conversation goes beyond surface-level insights. Saemin reveals why founder dynamics trump revenue growth, how AI model migration will become a critical industry, and why the remittance corridor between the US and Philippines represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity.

Key Topics:
Leading vs lagging indicators in startups
Chinese open source models influencing US tech
AI orchestration and model migration
Stablecoins and cross-border payments
Investing in aerospace, robotics, and renewable energy
Navigating geopolitical tensions in tech investing

About Saemin: Runs Rakuten Capital International from Singapore. Portfolio includes Upstart, WePay (acquired by JP Morgan), Currency Cloud, Acorns, and AST Mobile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwmIgB6ic80
 

Long-term goal of Rakuten one trillion yen operating income

My view for Rakuten in 2026 and beyond

14 hours ago

Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group

2026 is upon us, and I feel a strong sense of momentum across the Rakuten Group.

Last year marked Rakuten’s 29th consecutive year of growth. Not so long ago, we were absorbing significant losses as we invested in the future. Today, it is deeply rewarding to see those investments begin to pay off, not just on the balance sheet, but in the confidence it gives us as we look ahead.

The world continues to transform rapidly. Social, economic and technological uncertainty has become a part of our everyday lives. But it’s times like these when long-term vision matters most. I have always believed that change brings opportunity, and that belief feels especially relevant today.

Mobile connectivity is a foundation for our everyday life

Establishing Rakuten Mobile was never simply about adding one more service to the Rakuten Ecosystem.

Today, smartphones are the most important interface between people and the digital world. They’re no longer just tools for calls alone. They are your wallet, your TV, your library, your expert consultant or personal assistant. They touch nearly every part of daily life.

At the end of 2025, Rakuten Mobile surpassed 10 million subscribers. This milestone represents more than growth alone. It reflects trust from customers who believe in affordable pricing, transparent services and a new approach to mobile connectivity.

Rakuten Mobile has now turned EBITDA positive and significantly contributes to the Rakuten Ecosystem.
These results are confirming exactly what we expected from the beginning: that Rakuten Mobile can serve as a powerful engine for sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, the technologies we developed for Rakuten Mobile in Japan are also gaining global attention through Rakuten Symphony. Our cloud-native software, OSS and platform solutions are now used by customers around the world, including major telecom operators. What began as a mission to transform telecommunications in Japan is now becoming a global business in its own right.
AI that works for people

The AI boom is rapidly moving beyond the experimental stage, into a world of infrastructure.
At Rakuten, we operate at a scale that allows us to apply AI tech in very concrete ways. We are leveraging our vast and unique data from across the Rakuten Ecosystem to develop our in-house large language model (LLM) Rakuten AI 3.0, with approximately 700 billion parameters.

But developing an LLM is not our primary objective. Our goal is to utilize AI to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

We have already launched more than 70 AI-powered services and solutions, from shopping helpers and discovery assistants to travel personalization and financial insights. Each one is designed to reduce friction and make our services more intuitive.

Many of Rakuten’s core platforms were first built decades ago. To fully realize the potential of AI, we must modernize these systems for greater speed and flexibility. This is essential for future growth.
Rakuten Mobile’s business support system is one area that AI is driving meaningful change. We made the difficult decision to bring this critical software in-house, reducing long-term cost and increasing flexibility. By leveraging AI for coding, testing and design, we are now on track to complete this process in about one year instead of four.

AI is also beginning to reshape user experience at a fundamental level. One example is voice: I do not believe people will continue typing in the future. Voice will become a central interface, and together with AI agents and proactive services, it will redefine how our users interact with our services.

Every business at Rakuten is now developing its own AI agent. The true value lies in how well these agents are integrated. I envision a kind of mother agent that connects all Rakuten services and allows them to work together seamlessly.

Today, the Rakuten Group operates dozens of different apps. This level of complexity will soon no longer make sense. Starting with fintech, we aim to integrate our services into a single, unified super app. With faster networks and more capable devices, AI-driven interfaces make this not only possible, but logical.

Investing in people, in 2026 and beyond

As we undergo this AI-driven evolution, the importance of talent development is clearer to me than ever. In 2026, I will dedicate about 25% of my time to hiring and developing people, both in Japan and globally.

Last year, I met one-on-one with nearly 300 new graduates who joined Rakuten. Speaking with them reminded me of the energy, curiosity and potential that exists within our organization.

This year, initiatives such as entrepreneurship programs at Rakuten Mobile stores are giving younger employees real responsibility and the opportunity to shape how our services connect with local communities. Even as technology evolves rapidly, it is people who will always determine how far we can go.

As a long-term goal, the Rakuten Group is aiming for one trillion yen in operating income. These are ambitious targets, but they are firmly grounded in the progress we are already making today.

The years ahead will no doubt be challenging, but they will also be exciting. Rakuten is a unique company, built on long-term thinking, bold decision-making and a fundamental belief in people. Through 2026 and beyond, I am confident that the best times for Rakuten are ahead.

https://rakuten.today/blog/my-view-for-rakuten-in-2026-and-beyond.html
 

= $ 3 for a share.

An this by price-earnings of for example 17  a share-price of $ 51 - the ten-fold of today.  

Rakuten Mobile Brings AI into RAN with Intelligent Controller

January 30, 2026

Rakuten Mobile's open, cloud-native network allows smooth integration of AI, and a prime example of its benefits is the RAN Intelligent Controller. This enables cells or antennas to automatically adjust settings based on usage, reducing energy consumption. Professor Nakao of Tokyo University, who works closely with Rakuten Mobile, commented that "AI must be in the center of the future mobile network."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YIkyPeFN6I
 

Rakuten Group Enters 2026: AI × Mobile to Expand Ecosystem Synergy

January 29, 2026

2026 at Rakuten Group began with many traditional celebrations. In his new year's address, Mickey opened with how Rakuten Mobile's 10 million subscriber milestone and Rakuten's growing customer satisfaction thanks to AI adoption in over 70 services are key to expanding the Rakuten Ecosystem. The customary visit to Atago Shrine, Kagami Biraki ceremony, and guest lecture followed, with Dr. Ali Fenwick of Hult International Business School sharing emerging ideas on AI. All this and interviews with employees about their New Year's resolutions in this RNN report!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekcA4h_yamE&t=78s  
 

Rakuten Travel Spring Sale Offers Discount Coupons and Points

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Rakuten Group will hold a “Spring Sale” on its travel booking service “Rakuten Travel” from 10:00 a.m. on January 29 to February 19.

For domestic accommodations, discount coupons of up to 25% off will be available; for domestic tours, up to 20,000 yen; for activities and experiences, up to 10% off; for rental cars, up to 55% off; for highway buses, up to 700 yen off; and for overseas tours, up to 50,000 yen off.

In addition, by registering for the promotion and using eligible services, up to 5,000 Rakuten Points will be awarded by lottery to 2,000 winners. Rakuten Mobile subscribers will have double the chances of winning.
https://en.traicy.com/posts/2026013132325/
 

Cloud-Native Architecture Boosts Open RAN Adoption Rates

January 21, 2026

The Open RAN market presents key opportunities through cost efficiency, flexibility from multi-vendor setups, and enhanced network scalability with cloud-native architectures. Growing adoption is fueled by 5G expansion, regulatory support, and demand for secure, adaptable infrastructure, despite challenges in integration and maturity.

The global open RAN market is experiencing a significant growth surge, with size estimates reaching USD 6.53 billion in 2025 and projections hitting USD 45.09 billion by 2033. This expansion, projected at a CAGR of 26.8% from 2026 to 2033, highlights the increasing adoption of open RAN (O-RAN) as a flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional RAN systems.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...itecture-boosts-open-101800279.html
 

The global open radio access network (Open RAN) market size was valued at USD 2.91 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 33.78% from 2025–2034. Key factors driving demand for open radio access network (Open RAN) include 5G commercialization, government funding and regulatory support, and the emergence of network virtualization and cloud integration.

Market Statistics
2024 Market Size: USD 2.91 Billion
2034 Projected Market Size: USD 62.54 Billion
CAGR (2025-2034): 33.78%
North America: Largest Market Share

https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/...-radio-access-network-market
 

January 23, 2026

Japan boasts one of the world’s most mature consumer markets, with eCommerce sales reaching approximately US $110 billion in 2023—and continuing to grow steadily. Fueled by high disposable incomes, a strong preference for domestic and premium goods, and near-universal internet access, Japan ranks as the fourth-largest eCommerce market globally.

Within this landscape, Rakuten remains a cornerstone of online shopping behavior. With over US $30 billion in annual transaction volume and a sprawling digital ecosystem that spans shopping, finance, travel, and mobile services, Rakuten’s loyalty-driven model makes it a strategic priority for both domestic brands and cross-border sellers aiming to expand in Japan.

For overseas brands considering market entry, refining product strategy, or monitoring local competitors, keeping up with category shifts and fast-moving trends is crucial.

https://www.tmogroup.asia/insights/japan-ecommerce-sales/
 

The Invisible Engine: Why DevOps is the Lifeline of Modern Delivery

January 27, 2026

Generative AI helps developers code 10x faster. But if your delivery pipeline is manual, slow, or fragile, plan for a massive "pile-up" at the production gate.

That’s because without automated testing and CI/CD, AI-generated code typically results in more bugs reaching production faster. DevOps provides guardrails like automated unit tests, security scans and staging environments to ensure high-velocity code doesn't become high-velocity failure.

Let’s explore why Gen AI is a speed trap without DevOps and how an AI-led approach can create probabilistic and predictive outcomes that help all stakeholders move faster and more efficiently.

Managing the "Complexity Explosion"

We are moving away from simple monolithic apps to massive, distributed microservices and "AI-inside" architectures. Managing these manually is mathematically impossible.

DevOps provides the Digital Nervous System that conquers this complexity providing infrastructure as Code (IaC) that treats your data center like software so it can be versioned and replicated. With observability, basic questions like "is the server up?" become more specific: “How healthy is the user experience right now?"

We are in an always-on economy, which puts a premium on resilience

For a major enterprise, five minutes of downtime isn't just a technical glitch. The fallout can be measured in millions of dollars of lost revenue and depleted brand trust. Legacy thinking was about mitigating breakage and hoping for the best.  In a DevOps world, we design for failure with approaches like blue-green deployments that swap between two identical environments to ensure zero downtime and Chaos engineering, which purposefully breaks processes in a controlled way to ensure the system can self-heal.

Bridging Data Science and Reality (MLOps)

Most AI projects fail because they can't be "operationalized."

But with MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), DevOps principles are applied to the entire machine learning lifecycle to develop, deploy and maintain AI-powered products and services efficiently, reliably and at scale. This practice bridges the gap between data scientists, ML engineers and IT operations teams to ensure seamless integration of AI models into production environments. Put simply, it’s about closing the gap between a data scientist's laptop and a customer's phone. It’s how we ensure models are trained, tested, deployed and monitored with the same rigor as traditional software.

Conquering Complexity with a New Competitive Edge

If two companies have access to the same AI tools, the winner won't be the one who writes code faster. It will be the one who can deliver that code to the customer with the highest reliability and the lowest cost.

At Rakuten Symphony, we don't view DevOps as a cost center. We view it as the foundational layer that allows us to innovate at the speed of thought without the fear of breaking the network.

But in 2026, the bottleneck isn’t just speed, it’s complexity. As we move toward massive, distributed environments scripts are becoming too rigid to handle the scale.

With that in mind, let’s consider how the shift from legacy DevOps to AI-led delivery supports probabilistic and predictive outcomes that transforms how businesses operate:
Intelligent test selection uses AI to analyze code changes and run only those tests that have a statistical probability of failing.
Anomaly-based observability eschews static thresholds in favor of AI that learns what "normal" looks like. For instance, it will ignore a 90% CPU spike if it's a scheduled backup but alerts you to a 2% latency drift that precedes a database crash.
Autonomous self-healing doesn't just alert you to a problem but also correlates the logs, identifies the root cause, and suggests (or executes) a rollback or a patch.
In this model, the human is the governor with AI handling the cognitive heavy lifting. Compare this to deterministic and reactive legacy processes relying on IFTT logic and approaches like rule-based testing, static monitoring and manual RCA and the improvements are immediately obvious.  

The Path to Transformation

Moving to an AI-First model doesn't mean "ripping and replacing" your Jenkins or Terraform. It means adding a layer of intelligence over your existing tools.

At Rakuten Symphony, we are seeing that the most successful transformations happen when teams move from MOPs (Methods of Procedure) to agentic workflows. Instead of just giving engineers better scripts, we are creating AI agents that monitor deployments in real-time and act as a "co-pilot" for the entire infrastructure.

The result? Faster delivery, lower costs and, most importantly, fewer 2 AM "fire drills."

Yes, legacy DevOps made us fast. Now, AI-led delivery will make us unstoppable. If you are still managing your infrastructure with static scripts, you aren't just falling behind, you are leaving the door open for complexity to overwhelm your team.

The future is not just about doing things faster, it's about knowing what to do before the problem even starts.

https://symphony.rakuten.com/blog/...-the-lifeline-of-modern-delivery
 

Rakuten Card now supports installment payment as a payment method at the time of "Rakuten Travel" reservation

026/02/026


Rakuten Card Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") has announced that it will be able to choose installment payment as a payment method for reservations made using the Rakuten Card from today, February 2 (Monday) for domestic accommodations and ANA Rakupack and JAL Rakupack (Note 1) of Rakuten Travel, a travel reservation service operated by Rakuten Group Co., Ltd.

Rakuten Travel used to only support one-time payments by credit card, but with the introduction of installment payments, it is now possible to choose installment payments (Note 2) from 3 payments to a maximum of 24 payments for reservations using Rakuten Cards. Users can pay for their trips in a planned manner according to their lifestyle and schedule, making it easier to choose their desired accommodations and accommodation plans, thereby improving convenience.

Since the issuance of the Rakuten Card in July 2005, the number of cards issued has exceeded 33.01 million as of the end of September 2025, and we are actively working to promote cross-use with the Rakuten Group's various services and the spread of cashless payments both inside and outside the Group.

Going forward, we will continue to respond to changes in the social environment and the diverse needs of our customers, and further enhance our services and functions to support a comfortable and prosperous daily life with safe and easy-to-use financial services.

Note 1: ANA Raku Pack and JAL Raku Pack are package tour products that allow you to freely combine air tickets, accommodations, and rental cars according to your purpose and budget.

Note 2: You can choose from 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, and 24 times. There is a fee for using installment payments. Please check the following page for details.

https://www.rakuten-card.co.jp/corporate/press_release/20260202/
 

which owning Rakuten

US space stocks rise after Musk's SpaceX merges with xAI at $1.25 trillion valuation

By Jaspreet Singh

Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. space stocks rose on Tuesday after Elon Musk announced the merger of SpaceX and xAI in a deal that valued the combined entity at $1.25 trillion, a major push to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure outside Earth.

Musk estimates that within two to three years, the most cost-effective way to generate AI compute will be in space, as Big Tech companies spend hundreds of billions in the pursuit of artificial general intelligence, a theoretical milestone where machines could surpass human capabilities in cognitive tasks.$

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/...ce-stocks-rise-musks-111421530.html
 

Rakuten Ichiba expands global access to the Japanese e-commerce market

11 hours ago

Shoppers on Japan’s largest online marketplace now have more choice than ever: Rakuten Ichiba has expanded access to the platform for sellers from 22 global markets.

The latest expansion welcomes merchants from Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. They join a roster that includes China, North America, Australia, the UK, German and Denmark.

According to Takafumi Kanatani, Vice General Manager of Rakuten Ichiba’s Overseas Sales Strategy Department, “Rakuten Ichiba is committed to building a borderless marketplace that benefits both merchants and consumers.”

Takafumi Kanatani, Vice General Manager of Rakuten Ichiba’s Overseas Sales Strategy Department, who is leading the initiative to build a borderless marketplace for global merchants.

Rakuten Ichiba currently commands a 27% share of Japan’s online shopping market, recording nearly 6 trillion yen in domestic gross merchandise sales in 2024. Adding to the platform’s over 50,000 domestic merchants, over 1,000 international merchants have begun selling to Japanese customers.

These merchants are already logging GMS growth in the double digits.

The expansion is driven by a clear ambition, says Kanatani: to connect Rakuten’s 100 million+ members in Japan with products from around the world, many of which were previously difficult or impossible to source locally. “[This] is an important step in expanding global opportunities and bringing greater product diversity to our customers.”

Opening the door to the Japanese market

The move represents a significant opportunity for online merchants in these newly-included markets, allowing them to ship directly from their home countries without the need for a local entity on the ground in Japan.

South Korean beauty brand Medicube entered the Japanese market through Rakuten in 2019.
“Rakuten Ichiba’s strong influence and high brand credibility in Japan were the main reasons,” explained Nanako Hirono from APR Corporation, Medicube’s Japan marketing team. “Compared to other platforms, Rakuten has a higher proportion of beauty customers in their 30s to 50s, so we tailor our product planning and promotion strategies accordingly.”

This has helped the brand strengthen relationships with difficult-to-reach consumer segments. “Our contact points with customers in their 40s and 50s significantly expanded,” Hirono noted. “Rakuten’s trust and visibility helped us penetrate deeper into the Japanese market.”

Rakuten’s Shenzhen-based team briefs Chinese brands and merchants on market entry strategies, highlighting the purchasing power and loyalty of its 100 million+ member base.

EcoFlow is a China-based brand specializing in portable power.

“Rakuten Ichiba, with its strong local presence and streamlined logistics, provided the ideal platform to accelerate our entry into Japan,” said the brand’s spokesperson, highlighting the role of Rakuten’s local team in brand-building initiatives that “strengthened trust with Japanese consumers and supported our market expansion.”

American audio brand JBL remarked that joining Rakuten Ichiba was aimed not just at sales, but at connecting customers with the brand experience.

“We believed Rakuten Ichiba would provide an excellent platform to more deeply convey the distinct appeal of JBL products,” said Tsutomu Tano, JBL’s Head of E-Commerce. “Customers visit our official store to immerse themselves in JBL’s brand philosophy. That direct engagement has been instrumental in maintaining and enhancing our brand value.”

The company’s exclusive campaigns and promotions have been well received by Rakuten shoppers, even winning recognition as Shop of the Month. “We are very pleased with this strong performance and remain committed to continuously innovating our offerings and engagement strategies on Rakuten Ichiba,” Tano added.

Getting the most out of Rakuten Ichiba’s toolbox

Between language barriers and unique market conditions, doing business in Japan as a global company has never been simple. One crucial pillar of Rakuten Ichiba’s new strategy is its comprehensive support framework.

A bilingual team provides global merchants with end-to-end guidance on everything from the initial launch of a merchant’s storefront to ongoing promotions and performance management. The team will help the merchants take full advantage of Rakuten’s AI-powered store tools, as well as Japan’s most popular loyalty program, Rakuten Points.

The brands retain full control over their stores, while leveraging Rakuten’s powerful marketing and analytics tools to build visibility and customer trust. Rakuten Ichiba has strict anti-counterfeit policies, and a strong reputation among consumers for transparency and authenticity.

Learn how Korean merchants are leveraging Rakuten Ichiba to expand into Japan, with transaction growth in cosmetics up nearly ninefold over six years.

“Trust is the most important factor in the Japanese market,” said Hirono of Medicube. “Even with excellent products, many customers meticulously verify whether the product is trustworthy before making a purchase.”

This sentiment was echoed by Tano of JBL: “The Japanese market is renowned for its exceptionally high expectations regarding product quality and customer service. But succeeding on this platform can significantly elevate a brand’s perceived quality and trustworthiness.”

EcoFlow’s spokesperson had some advice for success selling in Japan: “Understand local needs and work closely with the Rakuten team. Make full use of the platform’s resources to succeed in the Japanese market.”

https://rakuten.today/blog/...-to-the-japanese-e-commerce-market.html

 

LinkShare Japan Releases Powerful AI Search Analyzer LinkSurge

February 04, 2026

Rakuten Group's LinkShare Japan, in collaboration with Benzie, Inc., has co-developed LinkSurge, a groundbreaking analytics tool designed to address the challenges of advertising in the age of AI search. LinkSurge is empowering businesses to maintain visibility as user search behaviors shift to dynamic interactions with generative AI. This innovative solution helps ensure services are not just seen but actively cited by AI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3zJz7OzmXI
 

Rakuten Mobile to Deploy 1Finity Open RAN Massive MIMO Radios at Scale

Feb 2, 2026 8:00

KAWASAKI, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rakuten Mobile and 1Finity (a Fujitsu company) today announced a major collaboration to deploy 1Finity’s massive MIMO (mMIMO) Open RAN radios. The radios, designed by 1Finity to use Qualcomm Dragonwing QRU100 platforms, will be deployed at scale this year in Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized, cloud-native Open RAN network. This initiative will significantly enhance Rakuten Mobile’s network capacity and coverage, delivering faster, more reliable connectivity for customers across Japan.

“The low power consumption and high performance of the 1Finity radio platform is well-suited to help us achieve our sustainable connectivity vision.”

Leveraging 1Finity’s vast expertise in open networking and decades of RAN experience, the passively cooled O-RAN compliant mMIMO radio units (RUs) enable Rakuten Mobile to expand capacity sustainably, while providing outstanding energy efficiency and long-term reliability.

Massive MIMO technology is typically deployed in the most challenging and critical areas of the network to significantly increase capacity while improving coverage and reducing energy per bit delivered. The 1Finity mMIMO Open RAN RU (O-RU) platform uses advanced beamforming techniques and spatial multiplexing to significantly increase capacity, as compared to conventional four-transmitter/ four-receiver (4T4R) RU solutions. Among the few O-RAN compliant mMIMO radios available in the industry, the 1Finity mMIMO O-RU is also one of the first of its kind to be deployed commercially at scale.

Rakuten Mobile will deploy the 1Finity 32A37 mMIMO O-RU operating at 3.7 GHz, which will interoperate with Rakuten Symphony’s centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) via the O-RAN open fronthaul interface. This deployment complements the existing 1Finity 44R21 Open RAN RUs already providing wide coverage in the network.

“Rakuten Mobile will continue to leverage our expertise in building fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile networks compatible with Open RAN in Japan, proceeding with the rapid deployment of 5G Sub-6 base stations and expanding our service areas,” said Sudhakar Pandey, Head of Rakuten Mobile’s RAN department. “The low power consumption and high performance of the 1Finity radio platform is well-suited to help us achieve our sustainable connectivity vision.”

“Our industry-leading radio powered by Qualcomm’s advanced platforms is a game changer, enabling Rakuten Mobile to increase capacity and coverage at scale with high-capacity mMIMO, combined with the flexibility, proven interoperability and performance of 1Finity multivendor Open RAN,” said Patrik Eriksson, Vice President and Head of the Mobile System Business Unit at 1Finity.

"Qualcomm Technologies looks forward to collaborating with Rakuten Mobile and 1Finity as they develop and deploy Open RAN massive MIMO radios,” said Arun Handoo, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Dragonwing QRU100 Platform helps enable operators to achieve greater network capacity, coverage, and energy efficiency. This collaboration has the potential to drive innovation in virtualized, cloud-native mobile networks while enabling operators to achieve greater cost efficiency in 5G infrastructure.”

About Rakuten Mobile
Rakuten Mobile, Inc. is a Rakuten Group company responsible for mobile communications, centered on its mobile network operator (MNO) business in Japan. Through continuous innovation and the deployment of advanced technology, Rakuten Mobile aims to redefine expectations in the mobile communications industry in order to provide appealing and convenient services for diverse customer needs.

About 1Finity Inc.
1Finity, a Fujitsu company, is a global provider of communications networks for our connected world. We uniquely combine technological leadership and expertise in open optical and wireless networking, network automation, and applied AI/ML to design, build, operate, and maintain critical digital communications network infrastructure. Collaborating closely with ecosystem partners, we deliver transformative outcomes for service providers and network operators, and enable them to lower TCO, improve network performance, and increase energy efficiency.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/...assive-MIMO-Radios-at-Scale

 

Rakuten Mobile and Fujitsu networking arm in open RAN collab

Radio units from 1Finity to power Japan-wide connectivity

February 03, 2026

Rakuten Mobile and Fujitsu subsidiary 1Finity announced an open radio access network (RAN) collaboration to deploy massive multiple-input, multiple-output (mMIMO) radios.

The radio units (RUs) were designed by Fujitsu’s networking arm for full-scale deployment in Japan and are based on Qualcomm Dragonwing QRU100 platforms, following in the footsteps of Qualcomm-based RAN deployments from the likes of Verizon.

Driving Rakuten Mobile’s cloud-native and fully virtualized open RAN network, the 1Finity mMIMO Open RAN RU (O-RU) platform uses beamforming technology to dynamically generate highly focused beams toward user devices in real time.


Rakuten Mobile plans to deploy the 1Finity 32A37 mMIMO O-RU operating in the 3.7 GHz band, which will interface with Rakuten Symphony’s centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) through the O-RAN open fronthaul interface. The rollout was touted as enhancing the existing network infrastructure supported by 1Finity 44R21 Open RAN RUs.

“Rakuten Mobile will continue to leverage our expertise in building fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile networks compatible with open RAN in Japan, proceeding with the rapid deployment of 5G sub-6 base stations and expanding our service areas,” Sudhakar Pandey, head of Rakuten Mobile’s RAN department, explained. “The low power consumption and high performance of the 1Finity radio platform is well-suited to help us achieve our sustainable connectivity vision.”

https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/...networking-arm-in-open-ran-collab/
 

Strong increase of all numbers of Rakuten Securities

February 4

Rakuten Securities Transaction Status and Notice of Deposited Assets (End of January 2026)  

https://www.rakuten-sec.co.jp/web/company/newsrelease/fy2026.html

 

Qualcomm Expands APAC AI And Open RAN As Smartphone Reliance Eases

04/02 19:30

Qualcomm has launched the Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators in APAC, targeting startups in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea to accelerate edge AI solutions.

The company also announced a major Open RAN collaboration with Rakuten Mobile and Fujitsu's 1Finity for a large scale network deployment.

These moves align with Qualcomm's ongoing efforts to broaden its business across automotive and IoT markets, alongside its core smartphone segment.

Qualcomm sits at the center of mobile connectivity and computing and is increasingly tied to edge AI, automotive electronics, and IoT devices. The new APAC AI program and Open RAN deployment plan indicate how the company is working to plug its technology into a wider range of connected products and networks.

The APAC AI Program and the large scale Open RAN deployment with Rakuten Mobile and Fujitsu both point to Qualcomm trying to deepen its role in edge computing and carrier networks at the same time that handset demand faces pressure and major customers like Apple work on in-house modems. By putting its platforms into startup ecosystems and into a cloud-native mobile network, Qualcomm is looking to widen its customer base and use cases. This can be relevant for investors tracking whether automotive, IoT, and AI at the edge can become more meaningful against a softer smartphone backdrop and rising competition from MediaTek and others.

https://www.sahmcapital.com/news/content/...reliance-eases-2026-02-04