KDDI Corp shares plunged as much as 10% in Tokyo, the steepest decline since March 2020, after Japan's second-largest telecoms provider announced an ongoing investigation into fictitious advertising sales. The probe will result in a $1.6 billion hit and require revisions to the company's group revenue for the year ending March.

KDDI, one of Japan's largest telecoms operators with over 70 million subscribers, has partnered with Bango to bring subscription bundles to its povo2.0 pre-paid customers. The collaboration uses Bango's Digital Vending Machine to integrate leading streaming services with mobile plans. Povo2.0 operates on a flexible model, allowing customers to enhance their plans with optional add-ons rather than traditional monthly contracts. The Bango platform enables KDDI to rapidly deploy new subscription services whilst consolidating multiple streaming options into one destination, removing technical complexity behind subscription bundling. The partnership aims to strengthen customer loyalty and retention by expanding content offerings. KDDI can now access a growing catalogue of subscription services with deployment capabilities and insights to personalise bundles. Cambridge-based Bango works with major content providers including Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

NEWLOCAL, a city development startup based in Tokyo, has raised ¥400 million in a Series A funding round. The lead investor was Samurai Incubate, with participation from West Japan Railway Company, JR East Startup, KDDI's Regional Initiatives Fund 1, and Agribusiness Investment & Consultation. This brings NEWLOCAL's total funding to ¥1 billion, including loans. Zebras and Company, an investor in NEWLOCAL, will continue to support its portfolio companies and promote the implementation of zebra companies in society.