Mercari to open digital tech development base in India

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
People from India, China and Singapore attend a new employee orientation at Mercari Inc. in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in October 2019.

Online flea market giant Mercari Inc. has announced it will establish a digital technology development base in India in June.

The company will expand its overseas development base and strengthen its ability to secure talented human resources, as there is a critical shortage of workers with digital skills in Japan.

The new development base will be established in Bengaluru in southern India, where the information technology industry is thriving. Mercari plans to hire 50 to 60 people locally within a year to develop IT services for its business in Japan and the United States.

In 2017, Mercari began hiring in earnest foreign nationals with digital skills. These new hires included 29 graduates from the Indian Institute of Technology in 2018.

Mercari currently has digital technology development centers in Japan and the United States.

“Diversity among our employees is essential for us to become a global company. We will continue to actively hire people overseas,” said Ken Wakasa, vice president and chief technology officer of Mercari Japan, at a recent online press conference.