Yahoo! JAPAN ceased providing services to users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, citing operational difficulties in maintaining consistent service quality within those regions. The move, announced by the company, impacts a wide range of Yahoo! JAPAN offerings, with some exceptions.
According to a notice posted by Yahoo! JAPAN, the decision stemmed from a determination that providing a continuous service environment to customers in the EEA and the UK had develop into unsustainable. The company stated that services listed as available after April 6th would remain accessible. Users with automatic monthly subscription renewals, such as Yahoo! Premium, were advised to cancel their subscriptions.
While the majority of Yahoo! JAPAN services became unavailable, access remained open for users accessing the platform from Japan. Specifically, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Card, and ebookjapan continued to function, although some features within Yahoo! Mail were subject to restrictions. Details regarding these limitations were available in Japanese.
The curtailment of services occurred nearly two years after the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, prompting some observers to consider a potential link between the two events. However, Yahoo! JAPAN did not explicitly cite Brexit as a factor in its decision. NewsyList reported on the service changes shortly after they were implemented.
Archyde reported that the changes were considerably curtailing services, and that the company cited operational difficulties as the primary reason. The company offered no immediate comment on potential future plans regarding service availability in the EEA and the UK.
