{{Short description|Japanese internet company}}{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox company | logo = LY Corp logo en.svg | logo_class = logo-nobg skin-invert | logo_size = 80px | logo_caption = Logo used since 2023 | image = Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho.jpg | image_caption = Headquarters in [[Kioichō, Chiyoda, Tokyo|Kioichō]], [[Chiyoda, Tokyo]] | native_name = LINEヤフー株式会社 | native_name_lang = ja | romanized_name = LINE Yahū Kabushiki-gaisha | predecessor = {{Unbulleted list|[[Z Holdings]]|[[Line Corporation]]|[[Yahoo! Japan Corporation|Yahoo! Japan]]|Z Entertainment|Z Data}} | founded = {{Start date and age|2023|10|1}} | type = [[Public company|Public]] | services = [[Yahoo Japan]]<br>[[Line (software)|Line]] | traded_as = {{TYO|4689}} | hq_location = 1–3, [[Kioichō, Chiyoda, Tokyo|Kioichō]] | hq_location_city = [[Chiyoda, Tokyo]] | hq_location_country = Japan | key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Kentarō Kawabe (chairman)|Takeshi Idezawa (CEO)|Shin Jungho (GCPO)}} | owner = A Holdings (63.6%) <small>([[Naver Corporation]] and [[Softbank Group]])</small> | subsid = {{ill|ASKUL Corporation|ja|アスクル}} | website = {{Official URL}} }}
{{Nihongo|'''LY Corporation'''|LINEヤフー株式会社|LINE Yafū [[Kabushiki gaisha|Kabushiki-gaisha]]|{{lit|Line Yahoo Corporation}}}}, [[trading as]] '''LYC''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=LY Corporation Begins Linkage of LINE and Yahoo! JAPAN Accounts｜LY Corporation |url=https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/news/release/000855/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=LY Corporation |language=en-GB }}</ref> is a Japanese internet company owned by A Holdings, a joint venture between [[SoftBank Group]] of Japan, and [[Naver Corporation]] of South Korea,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stock information {{!}} Share-Related Information {{!}} Investor Relations {{!}} LY Corporation |url=https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/ir/stock/info.html |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=www.lycorp.co.jp}}</ref> founded in 2023 by the merger of [[Z Holdings]], and four subsidiaries including [[Line Corporation]] and [[Yahoo! Japan Corporation|Yahoo! Japan]].
== History == In March 2021, [[Z Holdings]], which owns [[Yahoo! Japan]], and [[Line Corporation]] merged their businesses. The companies aimed to reduce costs by unifying overlapping services such as QR code payment, and increase traffic between the approximately 200 services they offer, focusing on the three businesses of search, messaging apps, and advertising.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 1, 2021 |title=ヤフーとＬＩＮＥ、経営統合 巨大ＩＴに対抗、アジア展開加速へ |pages=8 |work=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=NEWS |first=KYODO |title=Yahoo Japan operator, Line merge to take on foreign tech giants |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/6805a66d032a-yahoo-japan-operator-line-merge-to-expand-services-globally.html |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Kyodo News+ |archive-date=2023-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017115552/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/6805a66d032a-yahoo-japan-operator-line-merge-to-expand-services-globally.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They also announced plans to link the two companies' IDs within the group by the end of fiscal 2022.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=August 4, 2022 |title=ＬＩＮＥとヤフー・ＰａｙＰａｙ、来年以降にＩＤ連携へ |pages=9 |work=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]}}</ref>
However, it was revealed shortly after the merger that Line's personal information was accessible from China without adequate explanation to users. The actual work of ID linking was delayed as the group reviewed its data management system, and the outlook became uncertain.<ref name=":0" />
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, ZHD's consolidated results showed that its main advertising business saw revenue decline by 1.2% from the previous year. Domestic e-commerce, which ZHD had been aiming to become the domestic leader in terms of sales, also saw growth slow to 0.9%. As a result, ZHD's results were sluggish, and ZHD President Kentaro Kawabe said, "ZHD's services are losing their competitive edge against rivals, and we have a strong sense of crisis."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=March 11, 2023 |title=ヤフー・LINE・PayPay「共通マイル」開始、ID連携課題 |work=Nikkei Breaking News Archive}}</ref>
In August 2022, ZHD announced plans to link the user IDs of Line, Yahoo! Japan, and [[PayPay]] in 2023 or later to strengthen mutual traffic.<ref name=":0" />
In February 2023, ZHD announced plans to merge the three companies, ZHD, Yahoo! Japan, and Line Corporation, under its umbrella by the end of fiscal 2023. Even after the business integration, ZHD and Line Corporation continued to exist as separate companies and services, but ZHD President Kentaro Kawabe said, "It worked for the transitional period, but in order to promote further integration, we will unify and accelerate decision-making."<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 3, 2023 |title=ＺＨＤ・ヤフー・ＬＩＮＥ、合併へ |pages=7 |work=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Japan's Z Holdings, Yahoo and Line announce merger |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-s-Z-Holdings-Yahoo-and-Line-announce-merger |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-02-02 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230202183837/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-s-Z-Holdings-Yahoo-and-Line-announce-merger |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 28, it was announced that the new company would be named Line Yahoo (LY Corporation in English). The CEO of the new company will be Takeshi Idezawa, the CEO of ZHD, who said, "The business environment is still challenging, but we will fundamentally streamline our business through the merger."<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 29, 2023 |title=ヤフー・ＬＩＮＥ：新会社「ＬＩＮＥヤフー」 |pages=7 |work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]}}</ref>
In July 2023, ZHD announced that it would merge the domestic financial businesses of Line Corporation and ZHD. The two businesses, Line Securities and Line Credit, which handles personal loans, were consolidated into Z Financial, a financial intermediate holding company in the group that owns PayPay Bank and PayPay Securities.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 12, 2023 |title=ZHDとLINE、国内金融事業を統合 重複分野を再編 |pages=13 |work=[[The Nikkei]]}}</ref>
In March 2023, Yahoo!, Line, and PayPay launched a joint mileage service called LYP Mileage. When you purchase items at participating stores and earn miles, you will receive PayPay points at a certain redemption rate. Yahoo! President Takashi Ozawa said, "This is a long-cherished plan that has finally come to fruition."<ref name=":1" />
On October 1, 2023, ZHD, its subsidiaries Line Corporation, Yahoo! Japan, Z Entertainment, and Z Data merged to form LY Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=株式会社インプレス |date=2023-10-01 |title=「LINEヤフー」がスタート 「ライフプラットフォーム」を創る |url=https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1535742.html |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Impress Watch |language=ja |archive-date=2023-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001012943/https://www.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1535742.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Security == 520,000 records of personal data of LINE users were leaked in October of 2023.<ref name="Author 2023 s574">{{cite web | title=Line operator says some 440,000 items of personal data leaked | website=The Japan Times | date=2023-11-27 | url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/11/27/companies/line-data-leak/ | access-date=2024-03-06}}</ref><ref name="Sharwood 2024 u675">{{cite web | last=Sharwood | first=Simon | title=Japan orders LINE and NAVER to disentangle their tech | website=The Register | date=2024-03-06 | url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/06/japan_line_naver_infosec_guidance/ | access-date=2024-03-06}}</ref> Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued administrative guidance to LY Corporation twice on April 16, 2024. LY Corporation is required to submit another report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications before July 1, 2024.<ref>{{cite news |title=Line Operator Gets Administrative Guidance Again |url=https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/business/companies/20240417-180982/ |work=2024-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Line Operator Gets Administrative Guidance Again |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2024041600831/ |work=2024-04-16 |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |access-date=April 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418162715/https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2024041600831/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Japanese government rejects Yahoo! infosec improvement plan |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/17/japan_rejects_line_yahoo_security_plan/ |work=2024-04-17}}</ref> In March 2024, the Japanese government ordered Line and Naver to separate their systems because of the data leak.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Japan orders local giants LINE and NAVER to disentangle their tech stacks |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/06/japan_line_naver_infosec_guidance/}}</ref>
== See also == * [[SoftBank Group]] * [[Line_(software)|LINE]] * [[Yahoo! Japan]] * [[PayPay]]
== References == <references />
== External links == *{{Official website|https://www.lycorp.co.jp/en/}} *[https://line.me/en/ LINE] *[http://www.yahoo.co.jp/ Yahoo! Japan] {{in lang|ja}}
{{DJSI World}}
[[Category:2023 mergers and acquisitions]] [[Category:Internet in Japan]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 2023]] [[Category:Internet technology companies of Japan]] [[Category:Japanese companies established in 2023]] [[Category:Mass media companies established in 2023]] [[Category:Naver Corporation]] [[Category:SoftBank Group]] [[Category:Symbols introduced in 2023]] [[Category:Technology companies established in 2023]] [[Category:Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange]] [[Category:Yahoo! international]] [[Category:Chiyoda, Tokyo]]