Since its foundation in 1981, the SOFTBANK Group has based its actions on its core management philosophy: "Endeavoring to benefit society and the economy and to maximize enterprise value by fostering the sharing of wisdom and knowledge gained through the IT revolution." When it was established, the SOFTBANK Group anticipated the coming PC era and staked out a position of leadership in the distribution of packaged software for PCs. In the 1990s, before the Internet era got fully under way, the company established Yahoo Japan Corporation and launched Yahoo! JAPAN, which has now become Japan's largest Internet portal.

In 2001, SOFTBANK started commercial operation of the high-speed, low-cost Yahoo! BB ADSL comprehensive broadband service, thereby becoming the driving force in making Japan a leader in broadband. The company also entered the fixed-line communications business with the acquisition of JAPAN TELECOM CO., LTD., in 2004 and the mobile communications business with the acquisition of Vodafone K.K. in 2006.

Through the world's most advanced IP backbone network, Yahoo! JAPAN and other platforms provided over that network, and a diverse range of high-value-added services and content deployed over those platforms, SOFTBANK continues making great strides toward the realization of the dreams we have pursued since our first day in business.</p>