Navitime Japan

What Navitime Japan does

NAVITIME Japan Inc. is a Japanese technology company that operates a multi-product navigation and travel services platform built around a proprietary route search engine. The company develops and markets applications and cloud services for three primary customer segments: inbound international tourists visiting Japan, Japanese corporations managing employee travel and commuting expenses, and commercial truck drivers requiring vehicle-specific navigation. The legal entity NAVITIME Japan Inc. was incorporated in 2013, though the underlying NAVITIME brand and technology trace back to the broader NAVITIME Group whose roots go to 2000; the company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and is privately held under president and CEO Keisuke Onishi and CTO and co-founder Shin Kikuchi.

Its core technology is a proprietary route search engine that integrates real-time operational data — including transportation schedules, traffic conditions, and vehicle-specific constraints — and supports multi-language interfaces. The product portfolio spans consumer-facing mobile applications (Japan Travel by NAVITIME, launched October 2013 in 13 languages; Truck Car Navigation by NAVITIME, launched 2016), corporate cloud solutions for travel expense and commuting management (Commuting Expense Management Cloud with a Light Plan tier added March 2026, and Travel Expense and Transportation Cost Settlement Cloud launching June 2026), and OEM-embedded applications co-developed with transportation partners including Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) on the Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App, which received the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2025.

The business model combines three revenue streams: subscription-based enterprise cloud services for corporate expense management, a freemium model for consumer mobile apps with premium membership upgrades, and licensing and co-development royalties from embedded technology partnerships. Go-to-market mixes enterprise field sales for corporate cloud, product-led growth for consumer apps, and channel partners for OEM integrations. The company has earned notable recognition including the Prime Minister's Award at the 5th Nihon Service Award in December 2025 for the Japan Travel app. Operations are concentrated in Japan, though consumer apps are distributed globally through mobile app stores to serve inbound tourism demand.

Name

Navitime Japan

Legal name

NAVITIME Japan Inc.

Website

https://navitime.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Navigation and Location-Based Software

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Navigation & Turn-by-Turn Apps (BPAMANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Travel & Expense (T&E) Management Platforms (THAKANAA), Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) & Meta-Search (BPAMAIAA), Expense, Invoice Capture & Spend Management (T&E Integration) (THALAGAG)

Keywords

• Route search engine
• GPS navigation apps
• Travel expense management
• Commuting expense cloud
• Multilingual travel navigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Enterprise Cloud Services: Subscription-based cloud services for corporate travel expense and commuting management, targeting enterprise customers with policy automation features
2. Mobile Navigation Apps: Freemium model for consumer navigation apps including Japan Travel and Truck Car Navigation, with premium features for paid members
3. Licensing and Co-development: Revenue from collaborative development with partners like JR Central, where NAVITIME provides route search technology integrated into partner applications

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NAVITIME Japan develops and operates route search and GPS navigation technology packaged as mobile applications and cloud services. Its offerings include multilingual consumer travel apps for inbound tourists, truck-specific commercial navigation, a digital timetable application co-developed with JR Central for Shinkansen passengers, and corporate cloud solutions that automate travel and commuting expense settlement by linking route data to company expense policies.

Product overview

NAVITIME Japan operates as a multi-product platform offering navigation, travel, and transportation services. The core product portfolio includes route search and navigation applications (Truck Car Navigation, JR Central Shinkansen Timetable App), travel management solutions for corporations (Travel Expense and Transportation Cost Settlement Cloud, Commuting Expense Management Cloud), and tourism services for inbound visitors (Japan Travel by NAVITIME). The company also publishes annual spot search rankings based on its navigation data. Products are offered as distinct cloud-based services and mobile applications, with some developed in partnership with railway companies and enterprise clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Japan Travel by NAVITIME: Comprehensive navigation and booking service for inbound tourists to Japan, available in 13 languages.
• Truck Car Navi by NAVITIME
• Commuting Expense Management Cloud by NAVITIME
• Travel Expense and Transportation Cost Settlement Cloud by NAVITIME
• JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App
• NAVITIME Spot Search Ranking

Products and services

• Travel Expense and Transportation Cost Settlement Cloud by NAVITIME
• Commuting Expense Management Cloud by NAVITIME
• Truck Car Navigation (Truck Car Navi by NAVITIME)
• Japan Travel by NAVITIME
• JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded Prime Minister's Award at 5th Nihon Service Award for Japan Travel app service quality
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025NAVITIME Japan collaborated with Central Japan Railway Company to develop the JR Central Tokaido & San-yo Shinkansen Timetable App. The partnership combines NAVITIME's route search technology and readability expertise with JR Central's Shinkansen operational data, resulting in digital transformation of traditional printed timetables with enhanced features and real-time updates. The app won the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2025.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ekispert (Val Laboratory Corporation): Japanese transit route-search engine widely used by Japanese consumers and embedded into rail partner apps. Directly comparable to NAVITIME as a domestic route-search platform with multi-modal coverage and licensing deals.
• Jorudan: Long-standing Japanese route search and timetable service covering trains, flights, and buses. Comparable to NAVITIME Japan Travel on multi-modal domestic travel planning and timetable UX.
• Money Forward: Leading Japanese cloud accounting and expense management SaaS with a large enterprise and SMB footprint. The most direct peer to NAVITIME's Commuting Expense and Travel Expense cloud products, and a competitor for enterprise T&E budgets.
• freee: Japanese cloud accounting and HR/payroll SaaS vendor with expense management capabilities targeting SMBs and enterprise. Comparable to NAVITIME's T&E and commuting expense clouds on customer profile and GTM.
• MapFan (Increment P Corp.): Japanese mapping and navigation provider (formerly from Pioneer) supplying map data and navigation SDKs to automakers and partners. Closely comparable to NAVITIME on Japan-focused map/nav technology and B2B licensing.

Broad incumbents

• Yahoo! Maps (LY Corporation / Yahoo Japan): Default mapping and local search service in Japan, with deep integration into Yahoo Japan search and transit data. Overlaps NAVITIME's consumer navigation and Japan Travel use cases as a free, scaled incumbent.
• SAP Concur: Global leader in corporate travel and expense management. Comparable to NAVITIME's enterprise T&E cloud on workflow and policy automation, and a benchmark for what multinational enterprise-grade T&E tooling looks like.
• Google Maps: Global dominant consumer navigation platform with extensive Japanese transit, walking, and language support. Sets the baseline user expectation NAVITIME's consumer apps must exceed on premium value.
• HERE Technologies: Enterprise-grade mapping and location platform with strong fleet/logistics and transit capabilities. Comparable to NAVITIME on routing engine technology and B2B fleet use cases (truck navigation).

Regional players

• JR East (JREast Manner / JRE Point / Suica ecosystem): Japan's largest railway operator with its own navigation, timetable, and ticketing apps. Comparable to NAVITIME on embedded railway timetable products and a potential OEM/embedded partner for further JR deals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/navitime_pr
• Facebookfacebook.com/NAVITIME
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/navitime-japan-co-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Navitime Japan