Yahoo Japan, messaging app Line to merge to form online giant

The only problems i have with these Japanese online services is the site designs, they always try to fit every single little information into whatever space they have. With the merger i wonder if it will get more cluttered then it already was.

Asian countries' consumers tend to put more emphasis on showing all the relevant information at once, where as in the west, customers see a lack of information/overload to be pleasing.

Yeah, my eyes usually start bleeding after perusing Japanese sites such as Rakuten or Yahoo! Auctions.

I am addicted to Yahoo Auctions and use Line to call my mother. She has some UK telesales blocker on her phone, which also blocks calls made through Skype. The call quality is usually okay. It matters a lot when you are calling an old person.

In Japan, I suspect Line has a more dedicated userbase than Yahoo, which looks to be creaking.

The only problems i have with these Japanese online services is the site designs, they always try to fit every single little information into whatever space they have. With the merger i wonder if it will get more cluttered then it already was.

@Kag, as a developer and UI/UX designer in Japan I feel with you. But it comes down to cultural differences. Asian countries' consumers tend to put more emphasis on showing all the relevant information at once, where as in the west, customers see a lack of information/overload to be pleasing.

That's why in Japan and China etc, there are a billion signs on the street. Just different cultural design philosophies. It's slowing changing in Japan though. But I assure you it's not that the developers want it to be this way.

I guess they and Rakuten realized that the government can't really stop Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple.

Son wanting to run with the Big Dogs will be his downfall. Stay in your lane!

I really can't say negative things about this merger. It is no secret that Softbank gave foreigners in Japan a proper means of communication via phone services when the

other "bigs" wouldn't or if they did it was pretty darn close to giving a kidney in the process. Great job and looking forward to continuing use both Line and Yahoo Japan.

There is an interesting Korean connection. Naver is Korean and so is Masayoshi Son of Softbank.

Their combined sales would be the largest among Japanese online business operators, surpassing Rakuten Inc., according to Kyodo news service.

Say what? What do LINE and Yahoo sell that can surpass Rakuten? Stamps and auctions is the only thing that comes to mind.

As long as LINE stays line, im ok, but if Yahoo gets a say in it i will worry. Really don't like Yahoo. Overly complicated and terrible UI. They have also been breached a couple of times so that doesn't bode well.

Say what? What do LINE and Yahoo sell that can surpass Rakuten? Stamps and auctions is the only thing that comes to mind.

Do you actually use LINE? Line payment services, investment services, delivery services, insurance, advertising, corporate LINE accounts, bitcoin etc.

LINE has a ton of revenue streams. They have their hand in almost everything.

As for yahoo, advertising, auctions, PayPay, Yahoo Wallet, the tie up with TPOINT, there are literally too many to count..

Anything yahoo buys dies

Do you actually use LINE? Line payment services, investment services, delivery services, insurance, advertising, corporate LINE accounts, bitcoin etc.

> LINE has a ton of revenue streams. They have their hand in almost everything.

As for yahoo, advertising, auctions, PayPay, Yahoo Wallet, the tie up with TPOINT, there are literally too many to count..

I literally only use line for messaging so yes i was not aware they have fingers in so many pies, still Im surprised they make more profit than rakuten, Japanese biggest retailer. I also didnt know yahoo owned paypay, another reason to steer clear away from it.

Why was this the top story on JT? Surely the biggest news i the HK situation. Not picking on JT here in particular. All mainstream media outlets are burying it the best they can.

Got to get myself one of those Twitter things.

There is an interesting Korean connection. Naver is Korean and so is Masayoshi Son of Softbank.

And like Son, Line was born in Japan.

It is too late, albeit a good one.

They said the companies... shared ...the same sense of crisis of being dwarfed by American and Chinese rivals, 

Good strategy. I think US companies should do likewise -- banding together with the aim of getting bigger to crush competition from Japanese and Korean competitors in the US.

Yahoo is the company that allowed my data to be hacked repeatedly.

It’s been reported today that Disney+ has been hacked and thousands of user details have been sold on the dark web. I know it’s off topic but would be good to see it reported here.