日本公司進軍電子書籍市場

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
インターネット通販大手の「楽天」は、カナダの電子書籍の販売会社を買収し、専用の端末の販売も含め、このビジネスに本格的に参入することを明らかにしました。
「楽天」は、カナダに本社がある電子書籍の販売会社「コボ」を３億ドル余り（日本円でおよそ２４０億円）で買収することで合意したと発表しました。「コボ」は、アメリカやイギリスなど１００か国以上で、電子書籍のコンテンツや専用の端末を販売しており、コンテンツは、この会社の専用端末だけでなく、ほかの会社の端末にも広く対応しているのが特徴です。「楽天」は、海外で電子書籍や端末の販売で実績がある会社を傘下に収めることで、国内外で電子書籍のビジネスに本格的に参入する方針です。電子書籍を巡っては、アメリカのネット販売大手「アマゾン・ドット・コム」が、日本への参入を目指して出版社との交渉を進めるなど、今後、日本でも市場の拡大が期待されています。楽天の三木谷浩史社長は「アマゾン・ドット・コムとは、互いに刺激しあって、日本の電子書籍市場を拡大していきたい。勝算がないのであれば、事業を始めない」と述べ、意欲を示しました。
(試譯文)
"Rakuten" the major Internet mail ordering company purchased Canada's digital book sales company, and formally showed clearly that it would enter into the business that included the sales of terminals exclusively for using these digital books.
"Rakuten" announced that it had agreed to purchase the digital book sales company "Kobo" which had the head office in Canada for a little more than 300 million dollars (it was about 24 billion yen in the Japanese yen). "Kobo" was selling the contents of digital books together with the terminals exclusively for their use in over 100 countries such as the United States, Britain, etc.; and about the content there was one special feature, it was not only dealing with the terminal of this company exclusively, but with the terminals of other companies in general. "Rokuten" was acquiring and controlling companies which had a track record in the sales of digital books and terminals overseas, and was planning to enter into the business of digital books inside and outside the country. Centering around digital books, with negotiation in progress with a major U.S. online-sales company "Amazon.com": a publishing company aiming at entering into Japan, it was expected that the market would expand. Rakuten President Hiroshi Mikitani showed the volition and said that "it would create mutual stimulation, and I would like to expand the digital book market in Japan with Amazon.com. As there is no chance of a victory, the enterprise has not begun".

It seems that the digital book market in Japan will develop and expand further.