Softbank

The company Softbank K. K. (Japaneseソフトバンク 株式会社, Sofutobanku Kabushiki - gaisha, Eng. Softbank Corp. ), listed on the Nikkei 225, ISIN JP3436100006, is a leading Japanese telecommunications and media corporation with divisions in the broadband television, fixed-line telecommunications, e -commerce, Internet, technology services, finance, media and marketing.

Softbank was founded on September 3, 1981 in Tokyo.

The company owns a number of other companies in the profile as the Japanese company Cable & Wireless IDC, the company BB service and the computer game company GungHo Online Entertainment. In addition, it has various partnerships with Japanese subsidiaries of foreign companies such as Yahoo!, E * Trade and Morningstar.

Softbank and Apple jointly developed in 2008 a 3G mobile phone with built-in iPod for the Japanese market.

On 28 January 2005 the company acquired the Japanese professional baseball team Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Fukuoka Softbank Hawks from now on.

On March 17, 2006, the Company announced to buy the Japanese subsidiary of Vodafone.

On October 15, 2012 Nextel and Softbank announced that Softbank takes a majority stake in U.S. mobile operator Sprint. It is the largest foreign takeover that has ever made a Japanese company.