Rakuten Joins Hands with US Rental Lodging Website Operator (News)

Tokyo, July 3 (Jiji Press)--Major Japanese cybermall operator Rakuten Inc. said Monday that it has reached through an affiliate a business tie-up agreement with HomeAway Inc. of the United States, which operates one of the world's largest rental lodging websites.

Rakuten hopes to expand its minpaku rental lodging business by providing HomeAway with information on related properties across Japan, as demand for such services is increasing among foreign visitors to the country.