Rakuten Europe is New Partner of Japan Expo to Offer Visitors an Authentic Japan Experience

With a wide range of activities, the company will for the first time partner with the event, presenting a new exclusive service and offer Japan Expo visitors the authentic experience of diving into Japanese culture.

Luxembourg/Paris, June 23rdToday, Rakuten Europe announced that it will become one of the main strategic partners of Japan Expo – a must event for all those interested in Japan culture and endless discoveries for novices – which will take place in Paris on July 14-17th.

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Despite the remarkable breadth of Rakuten’s offering today ⁠— which includes more than 70 services worldwide ⁠— the company remains deeply connected to its Japanese origin and through this strategic partnership aims at proudly showing these roots.

With a wide range of activities to be disclosed in the upcoming days, the company will present a new exclusive fintech solution and will offer Japan Expo visitors the authentic experience of diving into the Japanese culture.

„One of Rakuten´s mission in Europe is to bring together and empower European businesses and consumers who are committed to Japanese culture” declares Toby Otsuka CEO of Rakuten Europe.In Japanese, Rakuten stands for “optimism.” This philosophy lies at the core of our brand, and it expresses our dedication to building a better, more optimistic future by empowering individuals, businesses and societies to realize their dreams.

Through a long term strategic partnership, Rakuten teams up with Japan Expo – the biggest such event in Europe – in a unique opportunity to leverage its brand, and ecosystem strengths including e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications, bringing value to customers through a unique loyalty membership programme.

“Connecting people and partners in Europe with Japanese culture, and making them feel at home embodies the spirit of Omotenashi おもてなし , which is about wholeheartedly looking after guests representing the Japanese mindset of hospitality centred around care – continues Toby Otsuka.  This partnership is the start of a new journey for us, and we are committed to continue expanding our presence in Europe at Japanese cultural events in other markets as well.”

 

About Rakuten

Rakuten Group, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businessesand society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to approximately 1.6 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 28,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.

In Europe, Rakuten has been active for more than a decade and is constantly growing its footprint. The network of business units consists of more than 14 services, available in almost every European country, including Rakuten France, Rakuten TV, Rakuten Kobo, Rakuten Advertising, Rakuten DX, Rakuten Symphony and Rakuten Europe Bank among the main ones.

With Rakuten Europe’s head office in Luxembourg and offices in London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and other major European cities, Rakuten is more than just a company, it’s a vision of a true Ecosystem.

 

About JAPAN EXPO

Japan Expo is a cultural and popular celebration. Every year, Japan Expo has the honor to welcome prestigious artists who come to meet the french audience. As  the real pillars of the festival’s program, famous names of animation, video games and manga come to take part in conferences, meetings or signing sessions to exchange about Japanese culture.

Japan Expo aspires to celebrate with the public and the professionals exceptional careers but also to put forward new talents in full development.

Since 2002, Japan Expo has been organizing the coming of Japanese artists. Each year, the festival team has renewed this commitment to the public: welcoming iconic figures and looking for new talents highlighted through conferences, signing sessions, masterclasses or even live-drawing…

Japan Expo is the 1st European festival dedicated to Japanese entertainment and culture and the 3rd exhibition in France behind Le Mondial de l’automobile and Le Salon de l’Agriculture. It gathered 252 510 people during its anniversary edition in 2019.

 

Press Contacts:

Delphine Schroeder, DS Communication – delphine.schroeder@dscommunication.fr – +33682516529

Mélanie Tresch, DS Communication – melanie.tresch@dscommunication.fr +33686561190

Fabiana Cumia, Regional Relationships & ESG Director – Fabiana.cumia@rakuten.com – +39 3311632193

Raphael  Thierschmann, Director Corporate Communications, EMEA – raphael.thierschmann@rakuten.com – +49170/5829936