Merpoli was created on August 1, 2018, as a platform to share information regarding public policy at Mercari, Inc., Merpay, Inc., and Mercari Group as a whole (“Mercari”).

Mercari, Inc. was founded in 2013 upon the mission to create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy & sell. On June 19, 2018, the company went public, and we were determined to leverage the technology and experience we had built up from running our C2C marketplace to contribute to society in new and greater ways.

At this time, new business areas such as fintech were anticipated to become a driver of economic growth for countries around the world. In Japan, as well, the government announced its “Growth Strategy 2018” with plans to support such industries toward achieving numerous initiatives to solve social issues and stimulate the country’s economic growth.

At Mercari, we want to contribute to solving social issues and driving economic growth by working with opinion leaders in every field to share information on the industry’s latest trends and future outlook with all of society.

We believe that moving forward, providing solutions to social issues will not only be the responsibility of the political and governmental realm, but also depend on collaboration between the public and private sector, involving companies such as ours.

At an event hosted by Mercari, we invited guests such as member of the House of Representatives Masaaki Taira and Director of the Digital Economy Division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for a panel discussion on the topic of the next growth strategy and the role of startups in shaping policy, and to speak about the relationship between government and startups in particular in the era that is upon us.

Through Merpoli, Mercari aims to actively share our understanding of social and political issues in Japan and the world today, as well as our initiatives and views as a company regarding public policy.

We will not only collaborate proactively in the areas of politics, government, and the industry, but share information related to such initiatives and policy proposals in an easy-to-understand manner so that it may resonate with a wider audience.

Please help us spread the information further by sharing Merpoli with a friend!

(Ryohei Takahashi)