History - Yahoo Japan Corporation
- History of each company
1996
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January 1996
Foundation of Yahoo Japan Corporation
Yahoo Japan Corporation was established as a joint venture between SoftBank and Yahoo! Inc. in the U.S.
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April 1996
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN"
At 3:20 pm on April 1, 1996, Yahoo! JAPAN, Japan’s first commercial search engine, went live. The initial services included only "directory tree data search" which listed approximately 15,000 websites, and "keyword search." Staff members manually categorized and registered each website in the database.
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July 1996
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Weather" (now "Yahoo! JAPAN Weather & Disaster"), and "Yahoo! JAPAN News"
Began offering free news and weather information through partnerships with Reuters Japan and Weathernews Inc.
1997
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March 1997
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Finance"
Started providing stock price information based on closing prices for all listed and over-the-counter securities on Japan’s eight stock exchanges—marking the first time in Japan that users could search all stock prices online for free.
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April 1997
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Score Board" (now "Sportsnavi")
As a service that provides match results and score updates for various sports, professional baseball live updates were provided as its first offering, followed by J.League live updates.
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November 1997
Listed shares publicly as an over-the-counter stock
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November 1997
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Travel", and "Yahoo! JAPAN Kids"
Yahoo! JAPAN Travel was launched as one of the largest travel information services in Japan at the time. Yahoo! JAPAN Kids was introduced to support the sound development of the internet by offering a safe search service and content tailored for children.
1998
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April 1998
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Map Information (Yahoo! JAPAN-Mapion)" (now "Yahoo! JAPAN Maps")
The service began by utilizing the map information service "Mapion." The company later inherited the mapping business from ALPS MAPPING K. K. and began offering its own map service in 2004. The service was rebranded as Yahoo! JAPAN Maps in June 2023.
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July 1998
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Games"
Began a browser game platform that allows users to play games against each other online. The initial lineup featured eight games: backgammon, checkers, chess, go, reversi, blackjack, bridge, and poker.
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December 1998
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Transit Information"
The service enabled users to look up routes, fares, and travel times for trains and flights. It was later expanded to include information for buses as well.
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December 1998
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Autos" (now "carview!")
The service provided comprehensive catalog information for nearly all passenger vehicles sold new in Japan at the time. In 2013, the service was integrated with the comprehensive automotive website "carpoint.ne.jp" and became what is now known as carview!
1999
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January 1999
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Mail"
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January 1999
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Real Estate"
The real estate search website adopted category-based search, which was rare at the time. It allowed users to easily switch between different views, such as region and property type.
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May 1999
Moved head office to 24-1 Nihombashi Hakozakicho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
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August 1999
Moved head office to 6-7 Kita-Aoyama 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo
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September 1999
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Auction", and "Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping"
Yahoo! JAPAN Auction was launched after all employees listed multiple personal items themselves. Yahoo! JAPAN Shopping launched with 17 participating stores and around 15,000 items available.
2001
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September 2001
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN BB"
In collaboration with BB Technologies Corporation, then a subsidiary of SOFTBANK CORP., the comprehensive broadband service Yahoo! JAPAN BB began with the aim of advancing Japan’s broadband revolution.
2002
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November 2002
Launched paid search advertising
Began implementing two types of paid search advertising: Overture's "Sponsored Search®" and Google's "AdWords™."
2003
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April 2003
Moved head office to 10-1 Roppongi 6-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo
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October 2003
Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
2004
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April 2004
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Knowledge Search"
A community-based Q&A service where users exchange knowledge and information. The service was created in response to a societal shift where the overabundance of information made it difficult for people to find clear answers to their questions. It allows users to pool their wisdom and cooperate with each other.
2009
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April 2009
Moved head office to 7-1 Akasaka 9-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo
2011
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June 2011
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Realtime Search"
A strategic partnership was formed with X Corp. (formerly Twitter, Inc.), and Yahoo! JAPAN Realtime Search was launched using data provided by X (formerly Twitter) to display the most relevant search results.
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July 2011
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Disaster Alert"
Amid heightened interest in disaster response following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the service was launched to deliver disaster-related information across email and Yahoo! JAPAN Messenger.
2012
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April 2012
Concluded business and capital alliance in the commerce-related domain with ASKUL Corporation, a mail order business operator (currently a consolidated subsidiary)
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October 2012
Launched "LOHACO"
Yahoo! JAPAN partnered with ASKUL Corporation to launch a shopping website for everyday household goods aimed at general consumers. The shop was based on the concept of solving the challenge of buying bulky daily items through home delivery. Its name reflected the hope of creating "Lots of Happy Communities."
2013
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October 2013
Launched new "Sportsnavi"
"Yahoo! JAPAN Sports" and Sportsnavi were integrated to create one of Japan’s largest all-in-one sports information websites.
2014
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July 2014
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Car Navigation"
A free car navigation app for smartphones offering real-time traffic-based route guidance. It received a strong response, achieving 1 million downloads within 23 days of launch.
2015
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January 2015
Acquired the shares of YJ Card Corporation (current PayPay Card Corporation, currently a consolidated subsidiary)
2016
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February 2016
Acquired the shares of Ikyu Corporation (currently a consolidated subsidiary) which offers services such as reservation for lodging, restaurants, and spas
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October 2016
Moved head office to 1-3 Kioicho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
2018
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February 2018
Acquired the shares of The Japan Net Bank, Limited (current PayPay Bank Corporation, a consolidated subsidiary)
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June 2018
Established Pay Corporation (current PayPay Corporation) through a joint investment with SoftBank Corp.
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July 2018
Pay Corporation changed its trade name to PayPay Corporation
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October 2018
Launched "PayPay," a smartphone payment service
Starting December 4 of the same year, a "10 Billion Yen Giveaway Campaign" was launched. It quickly became a hot topic and ended in just 10 days, from December 4 to 13, despite initially being planned to run for about four months.
2019
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June 2019
The largest and major shareholder changed to SoftBank Corp.
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August 2019
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Daily Life"
The service lets users check essential information for daily life by municipality. It covered all 1,896 municipalities in Japan at the time and included data on public facilities such as libraries, as well as resources on hospitals and disaster prevention.
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October 2019
Launched "PayPay Flea Market"
The flea market app was launched bearing the PayPay name. On November 1, 2023, the service was renamed "Yahoo! JAPAN Flea Market."
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October 2019
Launched "Yahoo! JAPAN Data Solution"
Using big data from Yahoo! JAPAN’s diverse services, the company began offering insights to support business creation, growth, and problem-solving for enterprises and municipalities.
2021
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October 2021
Launched "PayPay Gourmet"
A restaurant reservation service that allows users to earn and use PayPay Points for great deals.
