News On Japan

LINE undergoes major renovation to include Yahoo search

TOKYO, Nov 08 (News On Japan) - LINE Yahoo sales revenue has reached a record 871.7 billion yen, an increase of 11.1 percent year-on-year, thanks to increased revenue from media operations and a thriving travel business.

A major renovation of the LINE app was also announced during a press conference.

LINE Yahoo CEO Takeshi Idezawa said, "the 'Home' tab is expected to become a portal-like tab where news and content gather."

In the upgrades to be phased in from the next fiscal year, the Yahoo search function will be added to the 'Home' tab.

The addition of shopping functions and services that utilize location information are also planned.

The merger between LINE and Yahoo has boosted user numbers to 19.48 million, exceeding expectations.

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Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy committee has drafted a resolution calling on the government to raise the “departure tax” to secure funds for overtourism countermeasures. The proposal seeks to increase the current 1,000 yen per-person levy to 3,000 yen, and to set the rate at 5,000 yen for travelers using business class or higher.

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