Japan already has Rakuten.co.jp, which is a parent company of Rakuten.com. I believe they're simply rebranding all of their international chain to match the pa

Japan already has Rakuten.co.jp, which is a parent company of Rakuten.com. I believe they're simply rebranding all of their international chain to match the parent name. AFAIK most of their international store already using the Rakuten brand except in few countries that is a result of a buyout. (Buy.com in US, Play.com in UK, PriceMinister in France and TARAD.com in Thailand)