LINE Yahoo Hits 10.9 Million LYP Premium Members, Eyes Agent i

The company says sign-ups are increasingly driven by features such as LINE's message unsend function, and that feature-driven members tend to cancel less often. A plan tied to Netflix also contributed to growth.

Agent i moves toward monetization

Agent i offers more than 40 consumer services and can be reached through LINE and the Yahoo! JAPAN app, giving it more than 100 million user touchpoints. A standalone app is due in the second half of November, and a new subscription service is planned within fiscal 2026. Its scheduling agent can be launched directly from a LINE chat to arrange dates with friends.

On Yahoo! Shopping, users of Agent i's AI features show a 1.7 times higher conversion rate and 1.7 times more page views before purchase. AI-assisted sales accounted for 22% of gross merchandise volume in September, 10 points higher than a year earlier. For businesses, an AI mode for LINE Official Accounts begins rolling out to some companies in November, handling inquiries through to booking, purchase and customer support.

Monetization will widen beyond advertising, which began at the end of August with search-linked shopping ads. A higher-tier plan for Agent i users is planned within fiscal 2026, charging heavy token users first. Commission fees on AI-assisted purchases are in testing, and client-side fees for official accounts will follow.

On rivals such as Meta's Muse, CEO Takeshi Idezawa said Japan-specific restaurant networks, reviews and inn data, along with the Yahoo and LINE entry points, are the company's competitive edge.