August 24 2004
For Immediate Release
Address: 26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Company name: Global Media Online Inc.
Code No.9449
Company representative: Masatoshi Kumagai , Representative Director and President
Contact person: Masashi Yasuda , Executive Director
TEL: 03-5456-2555 (switchboard)
FAX: 03-3780-2611
URL: http://www.gmo.jp

GMO Acquires Stake in 3721 Soft and Concludes
Basic Agreement as AccessPort Joins Group
Global Media Online Inc. (“GMO”) is pleased to announce that on August 24, 2004, it concluded
a basic agreement under which it will acquire a stake in 3721 Soft Inc. and strengthen its ties withAccessPort Inc. The move will enable GMO to expand the scope of its operations.

1. About 3721 Soft3721 Soft is the major shareholder of AccessPort, with a holding of 7,120 shares (58.99%).

2. About AccessPort and the JWord service
AccessPort was established with capital provided by Itochu Corp., 3721 Network Software Inc., amember of the Yahoo China Group, GMO and other investors.
AccessPort commenced operations with services that aimed to create an environment that would
make it easy for any user to conduct a search on the Internet, irrespective of age or Internetexperience. The Company has developed the JWord service, Japan’s first search system based on
keywords in Japanese.
JWord is a service that enables users to directly access Web pages and search results when they
enter Japanese keywords such as company name, product name or service name in the address bar of
the browser, which is usually reserved for the URL, on personal computers that have the plug-in
installed. Based on the excellent high data-rate search engine technologies possessed by 3721
Network Software, which has provided similar services in China, the system for service in Japan wasdeveloped to suit the features of the Japanese language.
The number of JWord service users has increased steadily since its launch. As of August 18, 2004,
as many as 17.6 million users have subscribed in just two years since the start of service provision,and that number is still growing.

3. Details of the Stock Acquisition
GMO plans to acquire 3,262 shares (40.0%) of the shares in 3721 Soft on October 1, 2004, fromshareholders Mr. Weng Yongbiao and Mr. Shen Haiyin. Negotiations are underway among theparties regarding the specific terms and conditions for the transfer of the shares. The details will beannounced as soon as they are finalized.
Considering the situation after the acquisition, GMO plans to further strengthen the ties that theGMO Group has with both 3721 Soft and AccessPort.

4. Future Business Developments
With the addition of 3721 Soft and AccessPort, the GMO Group, headed by GMO, will be able toexpand the scope of its Internet businesses.
With respect to the JWord service provided by AccessPort, more plug-ins will be distributed freeof charge with the aim to increasing the percentage of Internet users with the JWord plug-in to 74%
or more, as a means of promoting Internet searches that start from the address bar and offering evenmore convenient services to users.
The GMO Group also appreciates the support it has of numerous companies in our server businessand other services designed for corporate users.
In addition, the Group has been aggressive in pursuing capital relationships during the current
term, with Free ML, which boasts Japan’s largest mailing list service in the e-mail community, as
well as with JUGEM, Yapoos! and Yaplog!, which all provide blog services, LoveLe, a provider ofan avatar service, Corum Online for online game services, the free bulletin board service known by
the name “teacup,” the free diary site Saru Saru Nikki, and many others. These efforts have enabled
us to expand our presence in the market for individual users.
The addition of JWord to the services provided by the GMO Group will attract a broad range ofInternet users, and the JWord plug-in will help increase the number of regular users.
Through these strategies and based on the media infrastructure it has built, the GMO Group aims
to attain steady growth.

[Reference]
Corporate profile of 3721 Soft Inc.
Trade name3721 Soft Inc.
Head office
2-21-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku Tokyo
Established inJuly 2004
Capital40.78 million yen
Representatives
Weng Yongbiao
Shen Haiyin
Investments in marketable securities
Business activities
Corporate profile of AccessPort Inc.
Trade name
AccessPort Inc.
Head office
2-21-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku Tokyo
Beijing office
6/F, He Qiao North Tower, 8A Guanghua Road, Beijing, P.R. China
Established on
August 16, 2004
Capital114.5 million yen
Representatives
Weng Yongbiao
Shen Haiyin
JWord (Japanese keyword) business, technology licensing business andBusiness activities
othersEnd