Online Payment Service Lets Companies without Subsidiaries in Japan Charge Japanese Users

Eastbeam, which operates the largest gaming information portal in Japan, is offering a new online payment service that gives companies without a subsidiary in Japan a viable way to charge Japanese customers. Under the service, Eastbeam will act as a Japanese payment gateway using the popular WebMoney system, allowing companies to expand their payment channels and transaction volume.

Tokyo, Japan, February 19, 2010 -- Eastbeam Co., Ltd., which hosts Japan’s largest gaming information portal, is pleased to announce the launch of an online payment service for companies that operate outside of the country.

Eastbeam’s new service is significant on a number of levels. Non-Japanese credit card payment solutions typically do not support Japanese credit cards, and Eastbeam solves this problem. It allows users to take advantage of an online payment solution and avoid many of the security issues associated with credit cards. In addition, Eastbeam can assist companies with Japanese localization and user support for online and browser games targeted at Japanese users. "Our online payment service is already being used successfully by major European browser game providers in Japan and foreign application providers for Mixi," says COO Markus Baron.

Currently, it is difficult for companies without a subsidiary in Japan to accept Japanese credit card payments. This is especially true with the online gaming market, where about 50 percent of the transactions are driven by credit cards. Eastbeam's new online payment solution can be used for almost any kind of service within the gaming domain, including browser games and pure online games. It is also ideal for applications developed for Japanese social networking platforms such as Mixi, which has more than 18 million users.

However, Baron emphasizes that while Eastbeam’s online payment solution is perfect for companies associated with online gaming, the service is also a practical option for non-gaming-related entities. "Eastbeam can offer this service to companies in any field wanting to utilize WebMoney in Japan," he says.

With the new online payment service, Eastbeam will act as a Japanese payment gateway using the Japanese WebMoney system-operated by Japan-based WebMoney Corporation. Prior to the launch of Eastbeam’s online payment service, companies lacking a subsidiary in Japan were unable to offer WebMoney as a payment option. "Now for the first time, those companies will be able to offer much broader payment channels to users in Japan-which will help increase their transaction volume," Baron says.

Japanese WebMoney is a popular electronic payment solution, possessing a 40-percent share of the entire Japanese payment market related to online gaming. At the end of the third quarter of 2009, WebMoney was used by more than 2,100 Japanese companies, and it achieved $49 million in transaction volume in December 2009 alone. WebMoney offers a pre-paid payment solution that people can use to charge their online payment account. Users simply purchase 16-digit codes and register them with their online payment account. The codes can be bought at more than 42,000 convenience stores, as well as PC/game shops and Internet cafés. Users can also charge their online payment accounts directly through bank transfers or even credit cards.

For more information about Eastbeam’s online payment service, please contact Markus Baron directly at +81 3 5738 2120 or email payment-solution@eastbeam.co.jp.

Eastbeam Co., Ltd. (www.eastbeam.co.jp) operates Wazap!, the largest gaming information portal in Japan. Wazap!, which serves more than six million unique users monthly in the Web and mobile space, features almost all console games ever released in Japan. It operates the largest database of Japanese games on the Internet, featuring more than 350,000 cheats and walkthroughs; more than two million questions and answers; and other content such as videos, news and casual games. With its strong expertise in the Japanese gaming industry, Eastbeam has emerged as the ideal online payment partner for English-speaking companies wanting to capitalize on gaming-related offerings in Japan. Founded in 2003, Eastbeam is based in Tokyo and serves companies worldwide.

Markus Baron, COO
Eastbeam Co., Ltd
Fonte Nishi-Harajuku 5F
Tomigaya 1-13-9, Shibuya-Ku
151-0063 Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 5738 2120
payment-solution@eastbeam.co.jp
http://www.eastbeam.co.jp

This release was published on openPR.