• Yamato and JD to work on initiatives to simplify cross-border logistics for Japanese brands selling to Chinese consumers

• Leading Japanese brands Akachan Honpo, Mikihouse and Omron announce new flagship stores on JD Worldwide

Tokyo, July 12, 2017 – E-commerce giant JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD), China’s largest retailer, announced the signing of a strategic MOU with Japan’s Yamato Group, one of Asia’s leading logistics companies.

The partnership will focus on enhancing operational efficiency, with a particular emphasis on building out a cold chain logistics network in China. Leveraging Yamato’s leading logistics technologies and extensive international logistics network, the partnership will makes it even easier for international brands to reach Chinese consumers. In addition, Yamato will take advantage of JD’s unparalleled nationwide logistics network in China to enhance its own last-mile delivery capability. The two parties will also cooperate on R&D programs in the areas of artificial intelligence and big data technologies.

The new MOU builds on the existing partnership between the two companies. In early 2017, JD.com formed a strategic partnership with Yamato to empower Japanese companies to access the China market quickly and easily. The two companies invested in e-commerce services provider Frank International, which offers a streamlined process for Japanese vendors to sell products directly to online consumers in China.

“We have seen a huge increase in demand from our consumers for Japanese products across every category because Chinese shoppers appreciate their outstanding reputation for quality,” said Richard Liu, JD.com’s Chairman and CEO. “This strengthened partnership with Yamato Group will give JD’s consumers even greater access to the highest quality Japanese and global brands. By expanding our cooperation into areas like cold chain logistics, and leveraging Yamato’s reach into other international markets beyond Japan, we are making it even easier for our international brand partners to sell to China and tap into JD’s base of 236.5 million active customers.”

“Our partnership with JD.com is already creating significant value for our partners in Japan, and this expansion is a show of confidence in JD’s capability,” said Kenji Minaki, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Yamato Holdings Co.,Ltd. “We look forward to working with JD on these new initiatives.”

JD.com today also announced that leading Japanese brands Akachan Honpo, Mikihouse, and Omron are launching flagship stores on JD.com’s cross-border e-commerce platform, JD Worldwide.

As part of the broad push in Japan, JD held a business conference at the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo, which was attended by business leaders representing nearly 100 leading Japanese brands across several categories. Speaking at today’s conference, Mr. Liu highlighted to attendees that demand from Chinese consumers for authentic, high-quality Japanese products is growing rapidly. According to Mr. Liu, JD’s data shows that:

• In 2016, total sales of Japanese products sold on JD’s cross-border e-commerce platform grew by triple digits.

• During JD’s recent June 18 anniversary sales, one of the company’s largest sales periods of the year, sales of Japanese imports grew dramatically compared to the 2016 sales event. Year-on-year, sales of imported Kose products were 11 times higher, Rakuten products were 10 times higher, and Shiseido products were 21 times higher.

• During this year’s June 18 event, female consumers significantly outspent male consumers for the first time in key categories like cosmetics, food and beverage, baby & maternal, and travel – unlocking a significant new opportunity for Japanese retailers targeting these categories.

JD is already the e-commerce partner of choice in China for many of Japan’s best-known brands across popular product categories including beauty, maternal and children’s products, consumer electronics, and home and kitchenware. The company is already working with prominent Japanese companies such as KAO Group, Kose Cosmeport, Panasonic, Rakuten, TOTO and Unicharm Corporation.