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Softbank 'dad' dog in a funk as ball club near the cellar

FUKUOKA, Japan - A mascot dog of Japanese mobile phone carrier Softbank Mobile Corp. is photographed with a Softbank Hawks baseball cap on with team manager Koji Akiyama at Yahoo Dome in Fukuoka on April 13. But the dog, nicknamed ''dad,'' was not in a tail-wagging mood during the photo opportunity apparently because the Hawks have gotten off to a lackluster start, placing fifth in the six-team Pacific League.

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Rakuten mulls new cell phone venture: sources

TOKYO, Japan, Dec. 14 Kyodo - Photo taken in Tokyo in December 2016 shows a Rakuten store selling low-priced mobile phones. Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. is considering entering the domestic mobile telecommunications market, taking on an industry currently dominated by NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp., sources familiar with the matter said on Dec. 14, 2017.

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Softbank tests wearable computer at dinosaur museum

FUKUI, Japan - A Softbank Mobile Corp. official tests a wearable computer at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama, western Japan, on Jan. 16, 2015.

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SoftBank tests balloon wireless network station

SENDAI, Japan - SoftBank Mobile Corp. conducts an experiment to restore a telecommunication network by flying a balloon to be used as a wireless station in the event of a disaster in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Nov. 6, 2014.

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Softbank cuts profit forecast

TOKYO, Japan - Masayoshi Son (R), president of Softbank Corp., announces the company's earnings forecast for fiscal 2014 at a press conference in Tokyo on Nov. 4, 2014. Softbank cut its group operating profit forecast for the year through March 2015 to 900 billion yen from 1 trillion yen, citing a slump at its U.S. mobile unit Sprint Corp.

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Japanese mobile phone carriers launch new Apple iPads

TOKYO, Japan - A staff member at an NTT Docomo Inc. outlet in Tokyo explains the company's trade-in campaign on Oct. 24, 2014, to a customer holding an iPad Air 2 tablet, as Japan's three major mobile phone carriers launch sales of Apple Inc.'s two new tablets. NTT Docomo, which started iPad sales in June well after KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp., is hoping to win over customers from its smaller rivals by offering the trade-in campaign, under which it will buy older iPads, including those sold by other companies, for up to 21,600 yen.

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Sprint needs to improve business on its own: Son

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Corp. CEO and Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son attends a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 8, 2014. Son said the U.S. company needs to improve its business on its own following news reports that the Japanese communications giant is suspending negotiations to acquire No. 4 U.S. mobile carrier T-Mobile US Inc.

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Sprint needs to improve business on its own: Son

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Corp. CEO and Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son attends a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 8, 2014. Son said the U.S. company needs to improve its business on its own following news reports that the Japanese communications giant is suspending negotiations to acquire No. 4 U.S. mobile carrier T-Mobile US Inc.

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Softbank's humanoid robot

OSAKA, Japan - Photo shows "Pepper," a humanoid robot that can communicate with people and sense emotions, as it makes a debut as a clerk at a mobile phone sales store of Softbank Corp. in Osaka on July 18, 2014, its first introduction in stores in areas other than the Tokyo metropolitan area since it was unveiled on June 5.

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Softbank CEO

WASHINGTON, United States - Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of major Japanese telecom firm Softbank Corp., delivers a lecture on the U.S. mobile communications market, in Washington on March 11, 2014. While speaking with reporters after the lecture, Son expressed his eagerness to buy out T-Mobile US Inc., the fourth-largest U.S. telecom firm.

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Softbank Hawks head Oh shows smartphone-based donation system

TOKYO, Japan - Sadaharu Oh, chairman of the Softbank Hawks pro baseball team, poses during Softbank Mobile Corp.'s announcement in Tokyo on March 5, 2014, of a new system that allows people to make donations using their smartphones.

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Softbank CEO Son unveils system to donate via smartphones

TOKYO, Japan - Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of Softbank Mobile Corp., explains in Tokyo on March 5, 2014, the company's new system that allows people to make donations using their smartphones.

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Sprint Nextel shop

NEW YORK, United States - Photo shows a shop in New York operated by Sprint Nextel Corp., the third biggest U.S. cellphone company, on July 10, 2013. Softbank Corp. said the same day it has completed the $21.6 billion (about 1.8 trillion yen) acquisition of Sprint Nextel, giving birth to the world's third largest mobile phone carrier.

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Sprint Nextel

OVERLAND PARK, United States - Sprint Nextel Corp. holds a shareholders' meeting in Overland Park, Kansas, on June 25, 2013. The shareholders approved Softbank Corp.'s offer to acquire the third largest U.S. mobile carrier for $21.6 billion, paving the way for the Japanese carrier to enter the U.S. wireless market.

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Sprint Nextel

OVERLAND PARK, United States - Photo taken on June 24, 2013, shows the headquarters of Sprint Nextel Corp. in Overland Park, Kansas. Shareholders of Sprint Nextel Corp. on June 25, 2013, approved Softbank Corp.'s offer to acquire the third largest U.S. mobile carrier for $21.6 billion, paving the way for the Japanese carrier to enter the U.S. wireless market.

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Balloon-based cellphone station

GIFU, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. performs a test in front of the press in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, on March 8, 2013, of its improved balloon-based cellphone station to be used in times of natural disasters.

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KDDI, Softbank release iPad mini cellular model

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Softbank Mobile Corp.'s unveiling event for the iPad mini in Tokyo on Nov. 30, 2012. Softbank and KDDI Corp. the same day began selling Apple Inc.'s iPad mini with cellular connectivity compatible with high-speed data communication using the LTE network service.

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KDDI, Softbank release iPad mini cellular model

TOKYO, Japan - TV-personality Satomi Shigemori holds the iPad mini at KDDI Corp.'s unveiling event for tablet devices in Tokyo on Nov. 30, 2012. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. the same day began selling Apple Inc.'s iPad mini with cellular connectivity compatible with high-speed data communication using the LTE network service.

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KDDI, Softbank release iPad mini cellular model

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken on Nov. 30, 2012, shows the iPad mini with cellular connectivity compatible with high-speed data communication using the LTE network service at the venue of KDDI Corp.'s unveiling event in Tokyo. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. the same day began selling the Apple Inc. tablet device.

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KDDI, Softbank release iPad mini cellular model

TOKYO, Japan - TV-personality Satomi Shigemori (R) holds the iPad mini, while KDDI Corp. President Takashi Tanaka holds the new iPad 4 at KDDI's unveiling event for the tablet devices in Tokyo on Nov. 30, 2012. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. the same day began selling Apple Inc.'s iPad mini with cellular connectivity compatible with high-speed data communication using the LTE network service.

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Softbank to purchase 70% stake in Sprint: reports

NEW YORK, United States - Photo shows a retail outlet of Sprint Nextel Corp. in New York on Oct. 12, 2012. U.S. media reported on Oct. 14, 2012, that Japan's Softbank Corp. and Sprint Nextel have reached a deal under which Japan's third-largest mobile phone carrier will pay $20 billion to acquire a 70 percent stake in the third-largest U.S. cellular phone company.

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Softbank unveils new smartphones

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son unveils a dozen new mobile phones to be launched from the fall of 2012 through the spring of 2013, including six smartphones that can access the mobile carrier's high-speed data communication network, during an event in Tokyo on Oct. 9, 2012.

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Softbank unveils new smartphones

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son unveils a dozen new mobile phones to be launched from the fall of 2012 through the spring of 2013, including six smartphones that can access the mobile carrier's high-speed data communication network, during an event in Tokyo on Oct. 9, 2012.

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Softbank to acquire mobile service operator eAccess

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son (L) and Sachio Semmoto, chairman of eAccess Ltd., shake hands during a press conference at a Tokyo hotel on Oct. 1, 2012. Softbank will acquire smaller mobile service operator eAccess, the two companies announced the same day, as Softbank seeks to offer better data communication service for iPhone smartphones.

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Apple's new iPhone hits Japanese market

TOKYO, Japan - Masayoshi Son (L), chairman and chief executive officer of mobile phone carrier Softbank Mobile Corp., and actress Aya Ueto attend the iPhone 5 launch event in Tokyo's Ginza district on Sept. 21, 2012. A new version of Apple Inc.'s iPhone hit shelves, with hundreds of people lining up at retail outlets including the company's flagship store in Tokyo hours before the release to obtain the popular smartphone.

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People queue in Tokyo to order iPhone 5

TOKYO, Japan - People queue at an electronics store in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Sept. 14, 2012, to place orders for the iPhone 5. KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp. unveiled retail handset prices and subscription plans for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5 as they started taking orders the same day ahead of the smartphone's launch on Sept. 21.

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People queue in Tokyo to order iPhone 5

TOKYO, Japan - People queue at an electronics store in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Sept. 14, 2012, to place orders for the iPhone 5. KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp. unveiled retail handset prices and subscription plans for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5 as they started taking orders the same day ahead of the smartphone's launch on Sept. 21.

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Softbank testing balloon-based cellphone station

INAZAWA, Japan - Photo shows a balloon that Softbank Mobile Corp. launched in Inazawa, Aichi Prefecture, on May 30, 2012. The company began testing the same day a balloon-based cellphone station it has developed for use in times of natural disasters.

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Smartphone capable of measuring radiation

TOKYO, Japan - A woman holds the Pantone 5 107SH, unveiled by Softbank Mobile Corp. in Tokyo on May 29, 2012. The smartphone, capable of measuring radiation levels, is aimed at meeting growing demand for dosimeters in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Softbank planning Japan's largest solar power plant

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in December 2011 shows an experimental solar power plant run by Softbank Corp. in Obihiro, Hokkaido. The Tokyo-based mobile phone carrier is planning to build what would be Japan's largest solar power plant in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, with an output capacity of at least 200,000 kilowatts, industry sources said April 4, 2012.

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Softbank Mobile allocated coveted radio frequency band

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son smiles in Tokyo on March 1, 2012, as he holds a document certifying that the government has allocated to his company the coveted 900-megahertz radio frequency band to improve the signal reception for its handsets in Japan.

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Softbank dog's grandson

SAPPORO, Japan - Photo shows a male puppy named Kaiji (bottom), the first ''grandpuppy'' of Kai, a Hokkaido-breed dog famous for playing the role of a father in a human family in TV commercials for Softbank Mobile Corp., in the town of Mukawa, Hokkaido, on Feb. 3, 2012. To the top is Kai's daughter Kirara.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - A customer in a mask resembling the late Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs waits for the iPhone 4S launch in front of an Apple store in Tokyo's Ginza district on Oct. 14, 2011. Softbank Mobile Corp. and KDDI Corp. began selling the new version of the Apple smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - A customer tries out an iPhone 4S sample in an ''au'' store, run by KDDI Corp., in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 14, 2011. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. launched the new version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Masayoshi Son, chief executive officer of Softbank Mobile Corp., attends a ceremony marking the launch of the iPhone 4S at one of the company's outlets in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 14, 2011. Softbank and KDDI Corp. launched the new version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Confetti fills the air during the countdown for the iPhone 4S launch at a Softbank Mobile Corp. outlet in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 14, 2011. Softbank and KDDI Corp. launched the new version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - A woman shows off her just-purchased iPhone 4S at a Softbank Mobile Corp. store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 14, 2011. Softbank and KDDI Corp. launched the new version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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iPhone 4S launched in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Takashi Tanaka, president of KDDI Corp., attends a ceremony marking the launch of the iPhone 4S at one of the company's outlets in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 14, 2011. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. launched the new version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone in Japan the same day, starting a fierce competition by the two rival mobile phone operators to chase market leader NTT Docomo Inc.

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KDDI, Softbank face off over iPhone 4S sales

TOKYO, Japan - People form a line outside KDDI Corp.'s outlet in Tokyo's Toshima Ward on Oct. 7, 2011, to make reservations for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4S smartphone. KDDI and Softbank Mobile Corp. unveiled retail handset prices and subscription plans the same day for the iPhone 4S a week before it goes on sale, both offering plans that require no payment at the time the device is purchased.

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KDDI, Softbank face off over iPhone 4S sales

TOKYO, Japan - People form a line outside Softbank Mobile Corp.'s outlet in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Oct. 7, 2011, to make reservations for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 4S smartphone. Softbank and KDDI Corp. unveiled retail handset prices and subscription plans the same day for the iPhone 4S a week before it goes on sale, both offering plans that require no payment at the time the device is purchased.

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Japanese line up to sign up for iPhone 4S

TOKYO, Japan - People line up at an electric appliance shop in Tokyo's Akihabara area on Oct. 7, 2011, hours before KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp. began taking preorders for Apple Inc.'s new handset iPhone 4S.

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Japanese carriers unveil iPhone 4S prices

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son announces the retail prices and subscription plans for Apple Inc.'s new handset iPhone 4S during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 7, 2011. KDDI Corp. also announced prices and fees for iPhone 4S the same day.

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Apple's iPhone 4S

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken on Oct. 5, 2011, at an Apple store in Tokyo's Ginza district shows Apple Inc.'s new smartphone model iPhone 4S. Japanese telecommunication carriers KDDI Corp. and Softbank Mobile Corp., which will sell the iPhone 4S in Japan from Oct. 14, 2011, are expected to announce their price and rate plans as soon as Oct. 6. Participation by KDDI in iPhone sales would intensify competition in the smartphone market in Japan.

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Softbank's smartphone compatible with high-speed service

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son announces new products in Tokyo on Sept. 29, 2011. Softbank said it will release the first smartphone for its ''Ultra Speed'' high-speed data communication service in November, matching similar services of its rival carriers.

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Softbank's smartphone compatible with high-speed service

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son (L) announces new products in Tokyo on Sept. 29, 2011. Softbank said it will release the first smartphone for its ''Ultra Speed'' high-speed data communication service in November, matching similar services of its rival carriers. In center is actress Aya Ueto.

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Softbank's smartphone compatible with high-speed service

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son (L) announces new products in Tokyo on Sept. 29, 2011. Softbank said it will release the first smartphone for its ''Ultra Speed'' high-speed data communication service in November, matching similar services of its rival carriers. On the right is actress Aya Ueto.

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Yahoo! Phone

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows a Yahoo! Phone, a new smartphone to be put on sale by Softbank Mobile Corp. in Japan in late September 2011. The phone is made especially convenient for online services by Yahoo Japan Corp. Both Softbank Mobile and Yahoo Japan are group firms of Softbank Corp.

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Softbank eyes enabling e-mail on Tokyo subway trains

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son (R) and Tokyo Vice Gov. Naoki Inose meet at the Tokyo metropolitan government building on Jan. 20, 2011. Son proposed that the mobile phone service provider improve telecommunications to allow cellphone users to send e-mails from Tokyo Metro subway trains at any time.

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Softbank President Son

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Masayoshi Son, president of Softbank Corp., in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2010. Son doubles as president of the company's mobile phone arm, Softbank Mobile Corp.

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iPhone4 goes on sale in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Softbank Mobile Corp. President Masayoshi Son (L) poses for a photo with Noboru Takahashi, the first customer to purchase the iPhone 4 in Japan, at an event to mark the launch of sales of the latest version of Apple Inc.'s popular smartphone at Softbank's flagship store in Tokyo's Omotesando district on June 24, 2010. Softbank, the sales agent for the product, said demand for the phone has exceeded expectation.