Alibaba is hoping to find success in Japan with the expansion of its Alipay platform to the country. The service will be launched under a different brand in Japan, and will be made to be fully connectable to Japanese bank accounts. The move comes after both WeChat Pay and Alipay announced their intentions to target Chinese tourists abroad as part of their international plans. However, success in the market will be difficult, since Japanese consumers largely prefer using cash over existing services like Apple Pay.Â
