Tokyo, Japan – June 11, 2014 – LINE Corporation, owner and operator of the free call and messaging app LINE, today announced that the official LINE account for its news service, “LINE NEWS”, has exceeded 10 million followers.

LINE NEWS’s official LINE account (LINE ID: linenews) was launched on February 27, 2012, under the concept that it would deliver comprehensive news to help users grasp the latest topics at a glance by using LINE’s chat feature. It has since then exposed an increasing number of followers to information and news from around the world.

On April 21, 2014, LINE NEWS embarked on the distribution of LINE NEWS DIGEST messages, utilizing image photos and simple titles in an effort to help users catch up on the most important news in a short amount of time. This was immediately welcomed by users who do not usually read the news and prefer to have all the information they need delivered to their LINE accounts. Followers increased at a lightning pace of 6.5 million users in 51 days, surpassing a total of 10 million on June 10.

In addition to its LINE account, LINE NEWS also operates a smartphone application under the same name that provides more enthusiastic newsreaders with the opportunity to find news articles that match their interests. Combined, LINE NEWS has grown into a news service with a reach of over 12 million users.

Starting today, LINE NEWS’s LINE account and smartphone app will be delivering flash updates on the Japanese team’s performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup held from June 12 to July 14 and all other related news.

LINE NEWS will continue to work toward providing more smartphone users with the opportunity to learn about the value of news, and actively add to its offering of convenient features.