Learning from its success in China, Chinese internet search engine Baidu.com will launch in Japan in 2007.
The firm, which boasts a 60% share of the Chinese market, has spent six months looking at Japanese language research technology.
Baidu says its strength in non-English language searches and similarities between Chinese and Japanese make Japan an "ideal" next step for expansion.
The firm did not give details of how it would enter the Japanese market.
'Confident'
"We are confident that Japan's search engine users will appreciate Baidu's powerful Japanese language search technology that will offer a user-friendly alternative to existing search engines,'' said Robin Li, Baidu's Chairman and chief executive.
After the US, China ranks second in terms of internet market size with more than 100 million users.
Earlier this year Google sold its 2.6% share in Baidu.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~04~RS~)