Amazon Prime Video to Hit Japan Next Month

TOKYO: Amazon is bringing its Prime Video service to Japan starting next month, populated with Japanese and U.S. movies and TV shows, anime, music concerts and variety shows, alongside original series.

Amazon Prime has already been operating in Japan, but now subscribers gain access to thousands of series and movies at no additional cost to their annual membership. Prime Video will be available anytime, anywhere on the Amazon Video app for Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire tablets, game consoles and smart TVs. In addition to standard and HD viewing, Prime members will be able to enjoy select titles in 4K Ultra HD picture quality.

Jasper Cheung, the president of Amazon Japan, said: “We launched Prime in Japan nearly ten years ago and it’s been increasing in popularity ever since as we’ve worked hard to add more products and provide ever faster delivery options. Now, Prime—the best bargain in the history of shopping—is getting even better with the launch of Prime Video. As we’ve shown with the launch of Prime Video in the U.S. and around the world, we are investing significantly to bring high-quality, local and popular programming to Prime members, and our customers in Japan should expect the same investment. We’ve been offering videos and DVDs in Japan for 15 years—we know the entertainment customers want—and we plan to deliver it with Prime Video—all at no additional cost.”

“We can’t wait to bring exclusive original series to Prime members in Japan, from our popular and award-winning series like Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent and Tumble Leaf to new Japanese originals, we know Prime members will love having unlimited access to watch,” added Roy Price, VP of Amazon Studios. “We are passionate about making distinct, exclusive entertainment that will become Prime member’s next favorite TV show or movie, and we know Prime members in Japan will love what we introduce just for them.”