Coupang expands to Japan with SoftBank backing

It is testing its delivery service in selected locations in Tokyo.

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has made its first international foray in neighboring Japan, a move that was supported by investor SoftBank, IGD reported.

Coupang is testing its delivery service in selected locations in Tokyo. Same day delivery service will be available in the Nakanobu area as of this month.

Japan’s e-commerce market is estimated to be worth $105b. Coupang plans to use its artificial intelligence-led Rocket Delivery service to challenge top industry player Amazon and e-commerce rival Rakuten. It will initially concentrate on Tokyo, the report noted.

Rolling out to the next big cities in Japan would need significant investment, commented an industry insider.