Yahoo Japan operator, Line merge to take on foreign tech giants
Z Holdings Corp., operator of Yahoo Japan online services, and messaging app provider Line Corp. merged on Monday to expand their online services globally as they aim to better compete with U.S. and Chinese tech giants.
With a combined user base of about 150 million in Japan, the merger of Z Holdings, a SoftBank Group Corp. subsidiary, and Line will make it one of the biggest information technology companies in the country.
Kentaro Kawabe (L), president of Z Holdings Corp, operator of Yahoo Japan online services, and messaging app provider Line Corp President Takeshi Idezawa are pictured at a press conference in Tokyo on March 1, 2021. (Kyodo)