Question: what is rakuten in japanese?
Answer: Rakuten was founded as MDM, Inc. by Hiroshi Mikitani on 7 February 1997. The online shopping marketplace Rakuten Shopping Mall (楽天市場, Rakuten Ichiba) was officially launched on May 1, 1997. ... The name was changed to Rakuten in June 1999. The Japanese word "rakuten" means "optimism".