Naver Acquires 7.9% Stake in Japanese Platform note

SEOUL, South Korea / TOKYO, Japan — Naver Corp. has invested JPY 2 billion in note Inc., a Japanese content platform, acquiring a 7.9 percent stake and becoming its second-largest shareholder, the companies said Wednesday.

The investment amounts to approximately KRW 18.7 billion, based on the exchange rate of 9.37 won per yen as of November 4. The companies announced a business partnership in conjunction with the investment.

Note is a content platform where users create and distribute text, images, audio, video, and manga.

The platform launched in April 2014 and has 64 million pieces of content and 10.52 million registered users as of August 2025, according to the company.

The company reported revenue of JPY 3.3 billion in 2024, a 19 percent increase from the previous year. User numbers, content volume, and revenue have grown at annual rates of 20% to 30%.

Content published on the platform increased 33.1 percent year-over-year.

According to Similarweb, Note ranked first among Japanese blog services by visitor traffic in 2024 and fourteenth among all Japanese websites.

The partnership will focus on integrating artificial intelligence into content creation tools and developing AI-powered search features and vertical agents, the companies said.

They also plan to explore cross-border content distribution and joint strategic investments.

Naver Chief Executive Soo Yeon Choi described Note as a platform where diverse content from around ten million users is collected, calling it a partner in an era when content value is significant.

Choi said the companies would collaborate on technology development and new service initiatives.

Note: Chief Executive Sadaaki Kato said the partnership would enable the company to distribute creator works across Asia and globally.

He said the companies would jointly develop content creation tools and distribution structures.

Note received an investment from Google in January. The company also operates Note Pro for enterprises and TALES, a story submission platform.