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From the press release:

ACCESS CO., LTD. a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile, beyond-PC and digital TV markets, today announced that its EPUB 3-compatible eBook viewer, NetFrontTM BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, has been adopted as a standard viewer engine for EPUB 3-compatible services by Kobo Inc. a global leader in eReading, and a subsidiary of Rakuten, Inc, one of Japan’s largest Internet service companies.

NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition is a multi-platform eBook viewer incorporating the technological capabilities and expertise of ACCESS mobile software, which has been deployed in more than one billion devices worldwide. NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, which supports EPUB 3 in addition to EPUB 2.0.1, reproduces complex page layouts and Japanese characters, including vertical layouts and logographic kanji characters by incorporating furigana annotation, which was not possible through the conventional EPUB standard. The viewer is based on the WebKit browser engine and supports a wide range of HTML5 content. Advanced technologies developed by ACCESS ensure enhanced portability and stable performance even in limited memory environments. NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition enables users to enjoy rich eBook content including novels, comics, and magazines embedded with next-generation video, audio and complex Japanese characters through smartphones, tablets or dedicated eBook devices.Kobo’s rapidly expanding eReading business, offers over 2.5 million titles in its eBookstore, and includes its own line of award-winning eReading devices – including the “kobo Touch eReader” and free top-rated eReading applications. Under its “Read Freely” philosophy, Kobo’s eBooks can be read on smartphones, tablets, and PCs, and support multiple languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. Following its merger with Rakuten in January 2012, Kobo is aiming to expand its market share, and is now preparing to launch the Kobo eReading solution in Japan by implementing the NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, as a standard viewer engine for EPUB 3-compatible services, which can accurately reproduce complex Japanese characters and page layouts.

In addition to licensing NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition for the kobo Touch, ACCESS, as a content aggregator, will provide the viewer engine for EPUB 3 compatible apps. This will be provided for kobo Touch, Android smartphones, tablets, and Windows PC devices based on the NetFront BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition. Kobo plans steadily to increase its catalogue in cooperation with ACCESS.

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