25 years of Rakuten Group
Rakuten looks back on the past 25 years, dividing up the company's history into four eras since founding in 1997. This site serves as an overview of Rakuten's 25 years of history and a selection of our current initiatives for the future.
1Chapter 1.
1996
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2002
The origin of Empowerment
The beginning of Rakuten
The Rakuten Group continues to value empowerment, a core part of our corporate philosophy since founding.
1996 - 2002
- Foundation of MDM, Inc. (currently Rakuten Group, Inc.)
- Rakuten Ichiba launches
- Company name changes to Rakuten
- IPO and expansion of Rakuten Group
- Launch of Rakuten Points
The Rakuten Group continues to value empowerment, a core part of our corporate philosophy since founding.
1997.2
Foundation of MDM, Inc. (currently Rakuten Group, Inc.)
The founding members believed, more than just about anyone else, in the internet's potential. They were passionate about using the power of the internet to make it possible for local merchants and independent retailers to compete on the same stage as large companies operating nationwide.
They believed that revitalizing regional economies would empower Japan as a whole. In order to find merchants aligned with this vision and willing to open an online store, they traveled around the country preparing for the launch of Rakuten Ichiba.
1997.5
Rakuten Ichiba launches
In an era when they said, “People don't buy things on the internet,” Rakuten Ichiba, a B2B2C marketplace, launches with just six employees, one server, 13 merchants and a strong desire to empower even smaller, local merchants to open their own online store easily – even if they aren’t tech savvy.
1999
Company name changes to Rakuten
MDM, Inc. is renamed Rakuten, Inc., emphasizing a belief in the future and a sense of “optimism” – as the word Rakuten literally means in Japanese. This concept has remained an important part of every service we have developed since.
2000
IPO and expansion of Rakuten Group
Rakuten greatly enhances its brand awareness while accelerating M&A activities through an IPO on the OTC market (currently TSE JASDAQ market), representing a major step toward the new businesses and services that would ultimately come to make up the Rakuten Ecosystem.
2002
Launch of Rakuten Points
The Rakuten Points program is introduced as a new membership loyalty program, enabling members to earn points when purchasing products on Rakuten Ichiba. Over time, it became possible for members to earn and spend points on Rakuten Group's diverse porfolio of services.
2Chapter 2.
2004
-
2009
The Rakuten Ecosystem
A globally unique ecosystem concept
In addition to the growth of individual businesses, Rakuten's entry into professional baseball, and the launch of Rakuten Points, the Rakuten Group forms the Rakuten Ecosystem – a concept for maximizing customer value by increasing the number of touch points available to customers.
2004 - 2009
- The Rakuten Tohoku Golden Eagles are born
- Rakuten Card launches
- The Rakuten Ecosystem vision
- First international e-commerce service
- Rakuten Ecosystem expansion
In addition to the growth of individual businesses, Rakuten's entry into professional baseball, and the launch of Rakuten Points, the Rakuten Group forms the Rakuten Ecosystem – a concept for maximizing customer value by increasing the number of touch points available to customers.
2004
The Rakuten Tohoku Golden Eagles are born
Rakuten enters the arena of professional sport with the formation of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the first new professional Japanese baseball franchise awarded in 50 years, catapulting the Rakuten brand nationwide.
2005
Rakuten Card launches
Rakuten starts issuing its own credit card, allowing users to earn Rakuten Points not only online, but also at stores in town.
2006
The Rakuten Ecosystem vision
Rakuten announces its vision for a “Rakuten Ecosystem,” a membership-based business model that encourages users to enjoy multiple services offered by the Group. This addition delivers more fun, convenience and value to users' everyday lives.
2008
First international e-commerce service
Taiwan Rakuten Ichiba launches as Rakuten's first e-commerce business outside of Japan.
2009
Rakuten Ecosystem expansion
Rakuten further strengthens the Rakuten Ecosystem by expanding new services such as banking and e-money.
3Chapter 3.
2012
-
2017
Global advancement
Bringing empowerment to the world: Rakuten's global strategy and Englishnization
Accelerating global expansion. English becomes the official internal language of the company, enabling all offices and employees around the world to work together to create value.
2012 - 2017
- Kobo joins Rakuten Group
- “Englishnizaton”
- Rakuten Eagles achieve their first Japan Series Championship
- Viber joins Rakuten Group
- Vissel Kobe join Rakuten Group
- Partnership with FC Barcelona
Accelerating global expansion. English becomes the official internal language of the company, enabling all offices and employees around the world to work together to create value.
2012.1
Kobo joins Rakuten Group
Rakuten fully acquires Canadian eBook Company Kobo, Inc. (currently Rakuten Kobo Inc.), a world leader in eReading.
2012.7
“Englishnizaton”
The Englishnization project that changed the company's official internal language to English began on January 4, 2010, when Mickey Mikitani announced in his New Year's speech to all staff that in a few years, we will have most of our meetings in English in order to become a truly global company.
This not only facilitated daily communication, but also increased understanding among staff members of different cultures and nationalities, which led to the further acceleration of diversity, one of Rakuten's greatest strengths.
2013
Rakuten Eagles achieve their first Japan Series Championship
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles win the Japan Series Championship for the first time in the team's history.
2014
Viber joins Rakuten Group
Viber Media Ltd. (now Viber Media S.a.r.l.), provider of the free global calling and messaging app Viber, becomes a wholly-owned Rakuten subsidiary. Now, Viber connects people around the globe.
2015
Vissel Kobe join Rakuten Group
Rakuten fully acquires Vissel Kobe, marking Rakuten's entry into the J.League, Japan's top professional soccer league, maximizing synergies with Rakuten Group to strengthen the professional sports business.
2017
Partnership with FC Barcelona
Rakuten becomes the Main Global Partner and first-ever Official Innovation and Entertainment Partner of FC Barcelona.
Hundreds of millions of people have seen the Rakuten logo emblazoned on the uniforms of one of the world's most prestigious soccer clubs.
4Chapter 4.
2018
-
2021
A global innovation company
Rakuten believes in the future: Leading the way through technology and business innovation.
Diverse global talent working together to produce new businesses, using cutting-edge technology. We continue challenging ourselves to build a better, more sustainable society, with an optimistic vision of the future inspired by empowerment.
2018 - 2021
- One Delivery initiative launches
- Smart stadiums: Fully cashless experience
- Launch of mobile carrier business
- Joining the international initiative RE100
- apan Post Group and Rakuten Group announce capital and business alliance
- Rakuten Symphony launches
Diverse global talent working together to produce new businesses, using cutting-edge technology. We continue challenging ourselves to build a better, more sustainable society, with an optimistic vision of the future inspired by empowerment.
2018
One Delivery initiative launches
Rakuten launches initiatives to realize its One Delivery vision for end-to-end logistics services.
2019.5
Smart stadiums: Fully cashless experience
At the home stadiums of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and Vissel Kobe, all purchases – including tickets, merchandise and concessions – can now be paid for exclusively with cashless payments.
2019.10
Launch of mobile carrier business
Rakuten Mobile launches its new mobile operator service, taking on the challenge of lowering mobile phone fees for Japanese households by providing low-cost and highly convenient services. The end-to-end fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network that serves as the technological foundation of Rakuten's new mobile network attracts attention from around the world.
2019.12
Joining the international initiative RE100
Rakuten joins the international initiative RE100 and aims to adopt 100% renewable electricity for all its business operations.
In the future, we will accelerate the use of renewable energy with a vision of having all Rakuten Group companies in Japan and overseas join. Many of our major services, including Rakuten Ichiba and Rakuten Travel, are already running on 100% renewable energy.
2021.3
Japan Post Group and Rakuten Group announce capital and business alliance
The Japan Post Group and Rakuten Group agree to a capital and business alliance to strengthen collaborations across a range of fields, including logistics, mobile, digital transformation and more.
2021.8
Rakuten Symphony launches
Rakuten Symphony launches as a new business organization to spearhead the global adoption of cloud-native Open RAN infrastructure and services. Its vision is to provide a future-proven, cost-effective cloud connectivity platform globally.