Fifteen years have passed since the free messaging app Line was launched, and in that time it has grown to over 100 million monthly active users in Japan.

Daisuke Asai, an executive officer in charge of Line-related operations at LY Corp., the company that runs Line, revealed some of the firm's future plans for the app, including establishing an AI service to assist users with shopping, making reservations and other tasks.

Asai indicated that the service will be offered for free to encourage widespread adoption.

The following is excerpted from the interview.

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Fifteen years have passed since Line was launched. How do you feel about that?

Daisuke Asai: In December 2025, we reached 100 million monthly active users in Japan. I am thrilled that our service has achieved this milestone.

Yomiuri: Line faces fierce competition from rivals such as Instagram, X and TikTok. What is your competitive advantage?

Asai: Line is not a social networking platform designed for interacting with untold numbers of strangers. It is recognized as a more closed means of communication with people close to the user. Our key advantage is that real-world relationships are directly reflected on the platform. Another major strength is that users' daily chat histories function as personal assets that preserve their memories.

Yomiuri: How do you plan to further develop Line?

Asai: We've already succeeded in establishing a platform that connects people to each other and with businesses. I believe AI agents hold the next big opportunity. People are already accustomed to communicating via chat, so we want to create an environment where users can casually consult with AI, just as they would ask a friend for a favor.

In April, LY Corp. began offering an AI service named "Agent i." We plan to develop it into a service that integrates AI into users' communication spaces to support everyday activities, such as shopping and making reservations.

Yomiuri: As LY Corp. expands the functions of its AI service, how do you envision further business growth and monetization?

Asai: Our top priority is helping users get familiar with our AI agent service. That's why we're offering Agent i for free on Line, trying to encourage more people to use it.

AI will make various suggestions through conversations with users and encourage their next actions. We expect users will thereby be guided to the Line app's shopping feature and other services within our group.

Yomiuri: To what extent will the tasks handled by AI expand?

Asai: Technically, AI can handle quite a wide variety of tasks, from purchasing products and making reservations to processing payments. However, we maintain a policy requiring humans to make all final decisions.

Yomiuri: Please tell me about your AI-related information management and security measures.

Asai: Based on lessons learned from past incidents, we have reviewed our internal governance structure and are strictly enforcing compliance with laws and regulations. We have established clear guidelines for AI utilization and maintain strict restrictions on sharing user information with AI systems. We always obtain a user's consent before AI utilizes any of their data. Under no circumstances will we share that information without explicit authorization.

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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July 14, 2026 22:27 ET (02:27 GMT)

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