Amazon Prime Instant Video coming to Japan

The company takes on Netflix, which is launching its service there next month.

Netflix Inc. isn’t the only streaming service that has its sights set on Japan. Rival Amazon.com Inc. will launch Prime Instant Video in the country next month.

The expansion, which will come at no extra charge for members of the Amazon Prime free-shipping program, enables the streaming service to have a hand in the Japanese market just as Netflix is set to launch in the country Sept. 2.

Amazon Prime members in Japan will have access to popular Japanese and U.S. dramas, anime series, music concerts and variety shows, as well as Amazon Studios’ slate of original series such as “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” and new Japanese originals.

The only other markets outside the U.S. to offer Prime’s video streaming arm are Britain and Germany as of last year. E-commerce giant Amazon is not yet as aggressive in the global expansion efforts for its streaming platform as is Netflix, which expects to complete a 200-country expansion by 2016.

Roy Price, vice president of Amazon Studios, said of the expansion: “We are passionate about making distinct, exclusive entertainment that will become Prime

‘We know Prime members in Japan will love what we introduce just for them.’

— Roy Price, vice president of Amazon Studios, discussing the expansion of Prime Instant Video to Japan next month

members’ next favorite TV show or movie, and we know Prime members in Japan will love what we introduce just for them.”

Amazon launched Prime in Japan a decade ago. A membership costs about $32.48 a year or $2.71 a month. That’s a lower fee per month than Netflix’s, which starts at about $5.41 a month.

Video streaming aside, Prime members in Japan receive free unlimited expedited shipping and scheduled delivery, a Kindle book to read free each month from the Kindle Owners’ Library and early access to Amazon Lightning Deals.

“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,” Jasper Cheung, president of Amazon Japan, said in a statement.

“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,” Cheung added.

Subscribers in Japan can access Prime Instant Video on the Amazon Video app for Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire tablets, game consoles and smart TVs.

Select titles in 4K Ultra HD, which has four times the resolution of standard full HD, will also be available to stream.

To help spread the word about Prime Video in Japan, a digital billboard promoting the service is on display at the famed Shibuya crossing in Tokyo.