Rakuten Group, Inc.

Rakuten Group, Inc. is a Japanese technology conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, founded in 1997 by Hiroshi Mikitani as MDM, Inc. before adopting its current name in June 1999. The company operates in more than 30 countries and regions with over 29,000 employees, spanning e-commerce, financial technology, digital content distribution and telecommunications, anchored by its Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace. Its subsidiaries and brands include the messaging app Rakuten Viber, the e-book service Rakuten Kobo, the video platform Rakuten Viki and the telecommunications carrier Rakuten Mobile, and industry observers have called it the Amazon of Japan for its broad reach across online retail and digital services.