Japanese entertainment company operating music labels and artist management.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
LDH is a Japanese entertainment company that operates multiple music labels and is involved in artist management and film/TV production.
History
LDH Corporation's history is inseparable from the rise and collapse of the Livedoor Internet group. The business began in 1995 as Livin' on the Edge, a venture founded by Takafumi Horie and university friends. It was formally incorporated in April 1996 in Minato, Tokyo. The company became Livin' On the EDGE Co., Ltd. in 1997 and converted from a limited company into a joint-stock company in July of that year. The young company pursued an Internet-centered growth strategy and reached the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market in April 2000. Its corporate expansion accelerated in the early 2000s. In November 2002 it acquired the free Internet-services business of the failed Livedoor Corporation. The acquiring company changed its name to Edge in April 2003 and then adopted the Livedoor name in February 2004, accompanied by a major stock split. This rebranding allowed the company to use Livedoor as the umbrella identity for Internet access, portal, blogging, search, advertising, and other online activities. Livedoor's business model relied heavily on acquisitions and stock-swap mergers. The group accumulated numerous subsidiaries and expanded beyond conventional web services. In 2004 it sought to acquire the Kintetsu Buffaloes during a reorganization of Japanese professional baseball. After withdrawing that offer, it created a proposed Livedoor baseball team and applied for entry into professional baseball. The franchise competition for Sendai was ultimately won by Rakuten, whose team became the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2005. Livedoor also developed overseas ambitions, acquiring MailCreations in Miami in June 2004 and entering American search and contextual advertising in 2005. The group's expansion was halted by the securities investigation that began publicly on January 16, 2006. Prosecutors searched Livedoor facilities and the residences of Horie and other executives over suspected securities-law violations. Investors reacted immediately, causing the share price to plunge and trading volume to surge to levels that threatened the Tokyo Stock Exchange's computer capacity. The exchange temporarily stopped trading across the market and demanded further explanations from the company. Horie and other executives were arrested in January 2006. The case concerned alleged securities and accounting fraud involving the company and subsidiaries. Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission filed a criminal complaint against five former executives in March. Horie was convicted in 2007 and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence; other executives also received prison terms, with appeals following. The episode damaged Livedoor's reputation and became a national symbol of the risks associated with aggressive, personality-driven corporate expansion. After the share price lost roughly 90 percent over four months, Livedoor was delisted on April 14, 2006. The company faced civil claims from Fuji Television and thousands of investors, while it also pursued settlements with former executives. The wider implications extended beyond the company: the scandal intensified debate about disclosure, internal controls, stock-based acquisitions, and governance in Japan, contributing to the introduction of enhanced controls known as J-SOX. In 2007 Livedoor reorganized its corporate structure. A new subsidiary retained the Livedoor name and most portal-related businesses, while the parent became Livedoor Holdings, a holding company responsible for legal and financial oversight of its subsidiaries. In 2008 the parent adopted the name LDH Corporation. A proposed public-market revival did not occur, and the Livedoor assets were eventually sold to NHN in 2010. After completing the sale of operating businesses and distributing remaining assets, LDH entered voluntary liquidation in August 2011. The liquidation was completed in December 2012, ending the corporate existence of LDH Corporation.
- 2012
Liquidation completed
[1]LDH Corporation completes voluntary liquidation after disposing of its remaining businesses and distributing residual assets.
- 2010
Sale to NHN
[1]NHN acquires the Livedoor operating businesses and related properties.
- 2008
Renamed LDH Corporation
[1]The holding-company successor to Livedoor Holdings adopts the LDH Corporation name.
- 2006
Securities investigation and delisting
[1]Executive arrests and the ensuing scandal lead to a collapse in the share price and delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
- 2004
Adoption of the Livedoor corporate identity
[1]After operating as Edge, the company changes its name to livedoor Co., Ltd. and expands the Livedoor brand.
- 2002
Acquisition of Livedoor's free Internet-services business
[1]The company acquires the free Internet business of the bankrupt Livedoor Corporation.
- 2000
Public listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market
[1]The company becomes publicly traded during the Japanese Internet boom.
- 1996
Formal incorporation in Tokyo
[1]Livin' On the EDGE Inc. is formally established in Minato, Tokyo.
- 1995
Livin' on the Edge begins operations
[1]Takafumi Horie and university friends begin the Internet startup that became the Livedoor group.
Products and positioning
A highly acquisitive, founder-led Japanese Internet group that combined consumer online services with rapid corporate expansion and a broad portfolio of digital businesses.
Internet service provider · 2002
Livedoor Internet access
The Livedoor name was used for consumer Internet-access services acquired from the earlier Livedoor Corporation. These services formed one of the foundations for the acquiring company's later rebranding and expansion into a broader online-services portfolio.
Web portal · 2004
Livedoor portal
The portal brought together online content and services under the Livedoor identity. It was the principal consumer-facing platform associated with the group and remained among the businesses transferred to a separate Livedoor subsidiary during the 2007 restructuring.
Blogging platform
Livedoor blog
Livedoor operated a blogging and user-publishing service as part of its web-platform portfolio. The service extended the brand beyond Internet access into hosted content creation and community publishing.
Search and online advertising · 2005
Livedoor search and contextual advertising
The group pursued search and contextual advertising in Japan and entered the American market in 2005. These activities reflected its effort to diversify beyond portal traffic into monetization and advertising technology.
Controversies
2006
Livedoor securities and accounting-fraud scandal
Japanese prosecutors investigated alleged securities-law and accounting violations involving Livedoor and subsidiaries. Raids, executive arrests, criminal complaints, convictions, investor litigation, and the company's delisting followed.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Livedoor professional baseball bid
Japan
Livedoor attempted to acquire the Kintetsu Buffaloes during Japan's professional-baseball realignment, later proposing its own Livedoor baseball team for Sendai.
Outcome. The Sendai franchise competition was won by Rakuten, whose team became the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Brand decisions
2010
Sell Livedoor operating businesses to NHNM&ABackground
After the failed effort to restore the group's public-market position, the Livedoor assets were placed in a sale process.
Action taken
South Korea-based NHN acquired Livedoor and related properties.
Aftermath
LDH Corporation proceeded toward voluntary liquidation after asset sales and shareholder distributions.
2007
Separate portal operations from the holding companyStrategyBackground
Following the 2006 scandal and delisting, the group reorganized its corporate structure.
Action taken
Most portal-related activities were placed in a new Livedoor subsidiary, while the parent became a holding company overseeing legal and financial matters.
Aftermath
The parent later changed its name to LDH Corporation in 2008 and ultimately entered liquidation.
2004
Rebrand the operating company as LivedoorStrategyBackground
After acquiring the free Internet-services business of the earlier Livedoor Corporation, the company sought to consolidate its online activities under the acquired brand.
Action taken
Edge Co., Ltd. changed its corporate name to livedoor Co., Ltd. and expanded the Livedoor identity across portal and Internet services.
Aftermath
The rebrand supported rapid expansion but became associated with the group's 2006 corporate scandal.
Sources1 sources
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