Photo: The Walt Disney Company / Public domain
entertainment

Disney+ coming to Japan in June

14 Comments
By Mujo, grape Japan

Last November Disney launched their online streaming service, Disney+, in six countries including the United States, Canada and Australia. Netflix subscribers may have noticed last year that most Disney-owned content mysteriously disappeared. Marvel series with future seasons planned were canceled, such as "The Defenders" and "Luke Cage." ("Solo: A Star Wars Story," "Avengers: Infinity War," "Black Panther" and "The Incredibles" are still available until Disney’s deal with Netflix expires).

Disney+ joined the growing list of companies offering their own streaming services like the aforementioned Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, and more. According to Variety, Disney confirmed its new service had exceeded 10 million sign-ups only a day after its launch. Although it relied heavily on its back catalog of previously released movies and TV series, it also offered new content like "The Mandalorian," the first live-action "Star Wars" TV series. As of April 2020, Disney+ had already surpassed 50 million subscribers, almost a third of the 167.1 million Netflix users.

On May 6, The River tweeted that Disney’s CEO announced the expansion of Disney+ to Japan this June.

Disney+ has continued its rollout across some European countries and India over the last few months. And this June, here in Japan we will have access to Disney Deluxe. The content will differ slightly because of existing contracts but will include many works from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. See the video below for more details.

Based on the current Disney+ subscriptions, Japan’s Disney Deluxe is expected to cost 780 yen for a monthly subscription, or 7,800 yen on a yearly basis. Bundles that include Hulu and ESPN+ cost $12.99 a month, so that’s about 1,380 yen.

For "Star Wars" geeks or those lacking patience, you may have already used a trusty VPN to take advantage of the 7-day Disney+ free trial. Everyone else will have to wait patiently until June.

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14 Comments
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On May 6, The River tweeted that Disney’s CEO announced the expansion of Disney+ to Japan this June. Disney+ has continued its rollout across some European countries and India over the last few months. And this June, here in Japan we will have access to Disney Deluxe.

But that's Disney Deluxe, which as far as I can tell has been here in Japan for a while. It has a separate login and payment from Disney+. If you don't have access to Docomo payment, you can't (or at least as of a month or so ago) pay for the service. Ideally, it would be great to log in with my US Disney+ login here in Japan, like I do with my US Netflix account login and Japan Netflix. Easy. Slightly different content, yes, but one overarching set of login credentials.

The equivalent here is a Netflix account that covers logging in in every Netflix country and only Japan having a separate Netflix Deluxe system with separate payment and login.

This isn't new news, unfortunately.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Huh, what? Disney Deluxe IS already hear. I did my free trial over Golden Week. Watched all that was worth watching and am already done with it. The docomo account creation was painful. It wanted kanji for my name so I had to make something up.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

So are the going to remove the Disney Channel? We have that with a package and I wonder if this is the way they’ll go as they’d make more money. Well not from us as we’d just not bother.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Available or not, no thanks, too much garbage..

Exactly; almost every mainstream show and movie these days is just hot garbage and full of brainwashing content.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

?? Isn't this just Disney Deluxe? I'm not sure since I don't have it. I want to watch Mandalorian but I keep putting off the free trial.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Oh wow, now everyone, who's already watched the Manadlorian for free online, can pay to watch it several months after the rest of the world!

GREAT job, Disney!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm looking fwd to watching The Mandalorian, not sure how folks can see it for free?

Is it a free one month trial?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The article confuses terribly between disney+ and disney deluxe

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Netflix subscribers may have noticed last year that most Disney-owned content mysteriously disappeared. 

As more and more of these companies start their own streaming services the less choices you're going to have on any existing service you already may subscribe to.

But as far as Disney is concerned, I couldn't care less. Their movies and shows have scientifically been proven to make you dumber.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

My youngest got her Frozen 2 Bluray today so we had it on.

I tried her with the "Was Olaf in it? Did he have a new voice?" but she's only seven and understandably didn't get the joke. I have new speakers in my home theater, which I'm quite proud of, but I don't think she noticed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This Mujo guy or girl is seriously confused. He/she even included a Disney Deluxe preview from 1 year ago. It does seem like Disney+ is coming out in June, but this article is just a mess.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So are the going to remove the Disney Channel? We have that with a package and I wonder if this is the way they’ll go as they’d make more money. Well not from us as we’d just not bother.

We had that with a package as well but canceled in favor of Disney Deluxe and Netflix and never looked back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wish these streaming companies would all use the Netflix model, as someone mentioned previously. One account that can be logged into from any country where they offer their service. The content is automatically adjusted to whatever is available in that country.

So, when I log into my one Netflix account in Japan, I see Japan market content. When I use my VPN's to log in from the US or UK, I see content only available in those respective markets.

OTOH, for Amazon, Hulu, now Disney+, and others, they have completely different services requiring a different account for each country. Ridiculous. I'm not going to pay for multiple accounts of basically the same service just for slightly different content. (Although, I do have Amazon Prime accounts in both the US and Japan. But, my US bank rebates my US Prime fee. So, I'm not really paying twice for that one. They rebate my Hulu fee, too! Nice perk.)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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