Rakuten Group, Inc. is a Japanese technology conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo. Founded in 1997 by Hiroshi Mikitani, the company operates a global ecosystem of internet services centered around its online retail marketplace Rakuten Ichiba. Rakuten's businesses span e-commerce, financial technology services, digital content platforms and telecommunications. Major services include the messaging platform Rakuten Viber, the ebook distributor Rakuten Kobo, the video streaming service Rakuten Viki, and the Japanese telecommunications provider Rakuten Mobile. The company operates in more than 30 countries and regions and employs over 29,000 people worldwide. Rakuten has been described as the "Amazon of Japan" due to the breadth of its online retail and digital services. Wikipedia