FC2 (portal)
FC2 is a popular Japanese blogging host, the third most popular video hosting service in Japan and a web hosting company headquartered in Las Vegas. It was the 11th most popular website in Japan overall.
Overview
FC2 is a US corporation, and according to an interview article by representative Takahiro Rihiro published in the magazine "Yahoo! Internet Guide" May issue in 2006, as of 2006, It is run by two people, his brother Takahashi Takahiro and his younger brother Takahashi Riyo, with 17 full-time employees and approximately 30 part-time staff.FC2 Blog launched in October 2004 and celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2014.
On April 14, 2025, FC2 announced that it will close FC2 Web, its free website hosting service, on June 30, 2025, citing the aging of its system and server. The service, which was started in 2001, later closed on June 30, 2025, and the service moved to FC2 Website.
Business
It offers free and paid various web services in various languages such as Japanese, including rental server, domain, blog, chat, access analysis, bulletin board, diary, access counter, SNS, etc.The same ID and password can be used in the service of FC2. It is characterized that service addition can be registered with one ID.
Decreased number of users
According to a survey by Nielsen in 2016, the number of PC users dropped to 8th in Japan, and the number of users decreased.Due to the decreasing number of users in the last few years of FC2 Web's life, new registrations for the service have ended.
List of services
Hosting
- FC2 Blog
- FC2 Website
- FC2 Rental Server
- FC2 Rental Server Lite
- FC2 Mobile Website
Streaming
SNS
- FC2 Game
- FC2 Summary
- FC2WiFI
- FC2WiFI Owner
- FC2 The Bulletin Board
- FC2SNS
- FC2 Novel
- FC2 Know-How
- FC2 Miniblog PIYO
E-commerce
- FC2 Shopping Cart
- FC2 Shopping Mall
- FC2 Content Market
Tools
- FC2 App
- FC2 Domain
- FC2 Access Analysis
- FC2 Mail Form
- FC2 Text Ad
- FC2 Affiliation
- FC2 Counter
- FC2 Bulletin Board
- FC2 Chat
- FC2 Profile
- FC2 Website Ranking
- FC2 Folder
- FC2 Hakushu/FC2 Applause
- FC2WIKI
- FC2 Blog Ranking
- FC2 Poll
- FC2 Icon
- FC2 Diary
- FC2 SEO Ranking
- FC2 Image Reduction
- FC2 Mobile Conversion/FC2 Keitai Henkan
Controversy
Due to FC2's physical presence in the United States, it has been known to allow hosting of pornographic, pirated, and slanderous content but is now being enforced with strict rules. Until 2012 it was very difficult to sue and get FC2 to release information on its users. This changed somewhat with an amendment to Japan's Code of Civil Procedure for foreign entities operating in Japan in 2012 and the ensuing injunctions that followed against FC2.One of the founders, Takahashi Rihiro was arrested in Kansai International Airport in Japan by the police on charges of distributing obscene videos.