LINE Corporation

LINE Corporation was a Japanese internet-services company whose principal consumer brand was LINE, a mobile communications platform used especially widely in Japan and several Southeast Asian markets. The company developed a broad ecosystem around messaging, including voice and video communications, social features, digital stickers, media, payments, music, manga and other online services. Although the corporate entity had roots in a Japanese subsidiary of South Korean internet and gaming group NHN, its later identity was closely associated with the LINE application and with the expansion of mobile internet services in Japan. The company began on September 4, 2000, as Hangame Japan, a Japanese subsidiary connected with NHN's Hangame online-game community. It was renamed NHN Japan in 2003. During the following decade, NHN's Japanese operations evolved through a series of reorganizations involving NHN Japan, Naver Japan and Livedoor. These changes placed the company within a larger internet-services structure that combined online games, search, portals and other digital businesses. In 2013, the company adopted the name LINE Corporation, reflecting the strategic importance of the LINE communications service. LINE's messaging application became the company's defining product. It offered text messaging, group conversations, voice calls, video calls and expressive sticker-based communication. The service gained particular traction in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, where it became an important communications and platform brand. LINE extended the service through official accounts, content distribution, media, commerce and payment functions, seeking to make the application a gateway to a wider digital ecosystem rather than only a chat utility. Important adjacent services included LINE Pay, LINE Music, LINE Manga and LINE TV. The portfolio also included technology and platform initiatives associated with the broader LINE ecosystem, such as the Clova cloud and virtual-assistant offering. In 2016, LINE Corporation completed initial public offerings in both the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, making it one of the more prominent publicly traded Japanese technology companies with a mobile-first consumer platform. The corporate structure changed substantially in preparation for a combination with Yahoo Japan. In 2019, the original LINE entity was reorganized in connection with the planned transaction, while a successor operating company assumed the LINE business. LINE was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2020 ahead of the integration. In March 2021, LINE and Yahoo Japan were brought together under a structure involving Z Holdings, SoftBank and Naver. The strategic rationale was to combine communications, search, commerce, payments and other digital capabilities in order to compete with major global and regional technology platforms. LINE also launched LINE Bank in Taiwan in April 2021, extending the brand into digital financial services. In 2023, Z Holdings announced a further consolidation involving LINE and Yahoo Japan. On October 1, 2023, Z Holdings and related entities were reorganized into LY Corporation. LINE's operating assets, rights and businesses were transferred to LY Corporation through an absorption-type corporate split, with certain overseas holdings treated separately. As a result, LINE Corporation ceased to function as the standalone operating company described in earlier corporate histories. The LINE brand and services continued within the LY Corporation structure, while the former corporate entity became associated with holding and restructuring activities. The brand's legacy is therefore that of a communications-led Japanese internet platform that expanded into a broad digital-services ecosystem and was ultimately integrated with Yahoo Japan.

LINE Corporation originated on September 4, 2000, when NHN established Hangame Japan as its Japanese subsidiary. Hangame was associated with South Korea's NHN and operated as an online-game and internet community business. In August 2003, Hangame Japan was renamed NHN Japan, establishing the corporate identity that would be used through much of the company's early Japanese expansion. NHN's Japanese presence became more complex during the late 2000s and early 2010s. In 2007, Naver established Naver Japan to operate its search service in Japan. Naver Japan later acquired Livedoor in 2010. In 2012, NHN consolidated NHN Japan, Naver Japan and Livedoor into a newly organized NHN Japan subsidiary. This period combined several strands of internet activity, including online games, search, portals and other web services. On April 1, 2013, the company adopted the name LINE Corporation. The change reflected the rise of the LINE communications application as its central strategic asset. LINE offered messaging, group communication, voice and video calls, digital stickers and an expanding set of official and commercial accounts. Its strongest markets included Japan and parts of East and Southeast Asia, particularly Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. The company subsequently built services around the messaging base, including payments, music, manga, television and other digital-content products. NHN itself later separated into Naver Corporation and NHN Entertainment Corporation. This corporate split created additional complexity around the ownership and management of Japanese businesses, but LINE Corporation continued to develop as a distinct mobile-internet platform. Its public-market profile increased in July 2016, when it carried out initial public offerings in both New York and Tokyo. A major structural turning point came with the planned combination of LINE and Yahoo Japan. In 2019, the original LINE entity was reorganized into a holding-company structure and a preparation company was created for the transaction. The operating business was subsequently placed into a successor LINE company. LINE was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange in late December 2020 before the formal integration. In March 2021, LINE merged with Yahoo Japan within a structure controlled through Z Holdings. Naver Corporation, LINE's former parent, and SoftBank Corporation each held a 50 percent interest in A Holdings, which in turn held a majority position in Z Holdings. The combination was intended to unite LINE's messaging and overseas reach with Yahoo Japan's search, commerce and online-service assets, creating a larger Japanese technology platform capable of competing with major United States, Chinese and Japanese digital companies. LINE continued to develop services in communications, content, payments and finance; in April 2021, LINE Bank began commercial banking operations in Taiwan. The next stage of reorganization was announced in February 2023. Z Holdings planned to merge with subsidiaries and consolidate the LINE and Yahoo Japan businesses. On October 1, 2023, Yahoo, Z Entertainment and Z Data merged into Z Holdings, which changed its name to LY Corporation. LINE transferred its operating assets, rights and businesses to LY Corporation through an absorption-type split, except for certain overseas stocks. The former standalone company therefore ceased to operate as an independent consumer-platform business, while the LINE brand and services continued within LY Corporation. Its history represents the transformation of an NHN-related Japanese game subsidiary into a major mobile communications platform and then into one component of a broader integrated technology group.

1. 2023Formation of LY Corporation

   On October 1, Z Holdings becomes LY Corporation and LINE's operating businesses are transferred into the reorganized group.

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2. 2021Combination with Yahoo Japan

   LINE and Yahoo Japan are integrated under a Z Holdings structure involving SoftBank and Naver.

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3. 2021LINE Bank launches in Taiwan

   The company launches a commercial bank headquartered in Taipei.

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4. 2020Delisting from New York and Tokyo

   LINE is delisted from both exchanges in December before the Z Holdings integration.

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5. 2019Reorganization for the Yahoo Japan combination

   The original LINE entity is reorganized and a preparation company is established in anticipation of its combination with Yahoo Japan.

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6. 2016Dual public listing

   LINE Corporation holds initial public offerings on the New York Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange.

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7. 2013The company becomes LINE Corporation

   On April 1, the company changes its name to LINE Corporation as the LINE communications service becomes its defining business.

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8. 2012Japanese entities are consolidated

   NHN Japan, Naver Japan and Livedoor are consolidated into a new NHN Japan subsidiary.

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9. 2010Livedoor is acquired by Naver Japan

   Naver Japan acquires Livedoor as NHN's Japanese internet operations continue to develop.

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10. 2003Renamed NHN Japan

    Hangame Japan adopts the NHN Japan name.

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11. 2000Hangame Japan is established

    NHN establishes Hangame Japan on September 4 as its Japanese subsidiary connected with the Hangame online-game community.

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A mass-market mobile communications and internet-platform provider centered on messaging, digital content, payments and related consumer services.

• LINEMessaging and communications

  LINE was the company's flagship mobile communications platform. It combined one-to-one and group messaging with voice calls, video calls, digital stickers, official accounts and social or content features. The service became especially prominent in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, and served as the foundation for LINE's broader payments, media, commerce and platform ecosystem.

• LINE PayDigital payments

  LINE Pay was the company's digital-payment service, extending the LINE ecosystem into mobile payments and related financial functions. It was designed to connect the messaging platform with transactions and other consumer services in markets where LINE operated.

• LINE MusicMusic streaming

  LINE Music was a music-focused digital service developed as part of the company's effort to broaden the LINE platform beyond communications. It provided a branded content destination linked to LINE's wider consumer ecosystem.

• LINE MangaDigital publishing

  LINE Manga was the company's digital manga service. It represented LINE's expansion into serialized and downloadable entertainment content, complementing its messaging and media properties.

• LINE TVVideo and television

  LINE TV was a branded online-video service associated with the LINE ecosystem. It supported the company's broader strategy of combining communications with entertainment and content distribution.

• LINE BankDigital banking2021

  LINE Bank was a commercial banking initiative headquartered in Taipei and launched in April 2021. It extended the LINE brand into regulated financial services and demonstrated the company's ambition to make its platform relevant to payments, banking and everyday transactions.

• ClovaCloud and virtual-assistant technology

  Clova was a cloud and virtual-assistant initiative associated with Naver and LINE. It broadened the group's technology portfolio beyond consumer messaging into voice interfaces, cloud services and artificial-intelligence-related applications.

• 2023Transfer operating businesses into LY CorporationM&A

  Z Holdings pursued a broader consolidation of its LINE and Yahoo Japan businesses during fiscal 2023.

  What changed. On October 1, LINE transferred its assets, rights and businesses to LY Corporation through an absorption-type split, excluding certain overseas stocks.

  Aftermath. LINE Corporation ceased to operate as a standalone operating company, while the LINE services continued under LY Corporation.

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• 2021Combine LINE with Yahoo JapanM&A

  The parties sought to combine messaging, search, commerce, payments and other digital capabilities to compete with major global and regional technology groups.

  What changed. LINE merged with Yahoo Japan under a structure in which Naver and SoftBank each held half of A Holdings, which controlled a majority of Z Holdings.

  Aftermath. LINE became part of a larger platform group with expanded capabilities and access to markets where the LINE service was popular.

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• 2021Launch LINE Bank in TaiwanProduct launch

  LINE was extending its consumer platform into financial services and digital banking.

  What changed. The company launched LINE Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Taipei, in April.

  Aftermath. The launch expanded the LINE brand into regulated banking services in Taiwan.

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• 2019Reorganize for the Yahoo Japan combinationM&A

  LINE and Yahoo Japan planned a corporate combination intended to create a larger Japanese digital platform.

  What changed. The original LINE entity was reorganized, and a preparation company was established to facilitate the transaction.

  Aftermath. The reorganization preceded LINE's delisting and its integration into the Z Holdings structure.

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• 2016Pursue dual public listingsOther

  LINE sought public-market access while operating a large mobile communications platform in Japan and other Asian markets.

  What changed. The company completed initial public offerings on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

  Aftermath. LINE became a publicly traded technology company in both the United States and Japan until its later delisting.

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• 2013Adopt the LINE Corporation identityStrategy

  The LINE communications service had become the central strategic asset within the company's wider Japanese internet operations.

  What changed. The company changed its name from NHN Japan to LINE Corporation on April 1.

  Aftermath. The corporate identity became closely aligned with the messaging platform and its growing ecosystem of consumer internet services.

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• 2023Z Holdings announces consolidation into LY Corporation

  Z Holdings announced plans to merge with subsidiaries including LINE and Yahoo Japan during fiscal 2023, leading to the creation of LY Corporation.

  M&A
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• 2023LINE operating businesses transfer to LY Corporation

  On October 1, LINE transferred its operating assets, rights and businesses to LY Corporation through an absorption-type split, while certain overseas holdings were excluded from the transfer.

  M&A
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• 2021LINE and Yahoo Japan combine under the Z Holdings structure

  LINE was integrated with Yahoo Japan through a structure in which Naver and SoftBank each held half of A Holdings, which controlled a majority stake in Z Holdings.

  M&A
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• 2021LINE launches LINE Bank in Taiwan

  LINE expanded its financial-services activities with the launch of LINE Bank, a commercial banking operation headquartered in Taipei.

  Product launch
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• 2020LINE delists ahead of integration with Z Holdings

  The company was delisted from both the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in preparation for its corporate combination with Yahoo Japan and Z Holdings.

  M&A
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• 2016LINE Corporation completes dual initial public offerings

  LINE Corporation listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, giving the messaging-platform company access to public capital markets.

  Other
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1. Line Corporation
2. LINE Corporation official website