Naver relaunches in Japan

According to reports in the Japanese media, naver.jp will look to differentiate itself from market leaders Yahoo and Google by offering a simplified interface, streamlined search and social bookmarking function.

The matome (meaning ‘arranging’) search facility allows users to compile favourite items in separated groups, to add comments and to share with contacts. It also acts as a social recommendation service by linking users with similar interests.

According to Naver’s chief strategist in Japan, Jun Masuda, the site will reduce the appearance of unwanted search results, focusing on personalised collections rather than scale of search.

Naver.jp is reportedly different from its parent site in Korea, having been developed locally and tailored to Japanese aesthetic taste and requirements.

The service is expected to be accessible via mobile form August in a bid to attract a teenage audience. In addition to competing with Google and Yahoo in the search sector, Naver will aim to gain ground on social networking giant Mixi.

Naver first entered Japan in 2000, but withdrew five years later, having apparently failed to achieve resonance in a market dominated by Yahoo. Korean internet firms have not enjoyed great success in Japan. Recently, SK Telecom subsidiary SK Communications announced the closure of its Cyworld social networking site in Japan; Daum, which competes directly with Naver in Korea, has also shelved its Café Star web community service, which has been active in Japan since 2003.