From Friday February 5, Fujitsu FIP Corporation (hereafter Fujitsu FIP; head office: Koto Ward, Tokyo; President: Nobuyoshi Sugimoto) and Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: Naoki Adachi) will provide HMV Japan KK (hereafter HMV Japan) with a "Gift Card*1 ASP Service" which will be the first in Japan for the specialist CD and DVD store industry.

The "HMV Gift Card*2" will be handled at 58 stores in Japan. It is a prepaid card and charge value can be selected from 1,000 to 100,000 yen in 500 yen units. It will also be possible to recharge and reuse the card. When people who have already registered as HMV members use an HMV Gift Card they will also be able to receive HMV members’ points.

Special packages for gift cards will be available meaning that in addition to use as a convenient form of electronic money, they can also be used for a variety of purposes such as gifts for celebrations, free gifts for events and parties, and new novelty items for companies.

HMV Gift Card *The actual card design may differ slightly.

In Japan, gift cards are used by businesses such as large clothing stores, variety stores and electronics retailers and an initiative has been introduced for a single gift card that can be used at multiple department stores. The market has expanded to use by around 200 companies and 30,000 stores (as of the end of September 2009; research by Toppan Printing).
The HMV Gift Card to be sold by HMV will be the first such card in the specialist CD and DVD store industry in Japan.
In the United States, where gift cards originated, "Gift Card Malls*3" are performing well and they are receiving attention in Japan as a new business model. Using this Gift Card Mall scheme, HMV began sales of the "iTunes Card*4" in November 2009. Expansion of the HMV Gift Card to channels such as online shops is also planned*5.

*1:Gift Card
A type of gift token in card form where the balance is managed on a server. It is a new gift item which enables a greater range of design than traditional paper gift tokens and has a reduced management burden.

*2:HMV Gift Card
-Card name: HMV Gift Card
-Issuance and launch: Friday February 5, 2010
-Issuing and participating stores: Can be used at 58 stores throughout Japan
-Possible charge amount: Charge amount can be specified in 500 yen units from 1,000 to 100,000 yen.
*Card can also be reused by recharging.
-Expiry date: Two years from most recent charge

The Gift Card ASP Service was jointly developed by Fujitsu FIP and Toppan Printing and is a real-time processing service that manages gift card balances. It is a highly reliable service that is operated at Fujitsu FIP’s secure data center, which meets the requirements for international accreditation such as ISO/IEC27001. It is already in use by over 50 companies and enjoys one of the best track records in Japan.
In addition to the competitive edge provided by this kind of service, through a tie-up between Fujitsu FIP and Toppan Printing, the ability to provide a one-stop service covering support for introduction of gift card business, manufacturing and issuance of gift cards, and promotional support has been well received and this led to HMV deciding to adopt the services.

Fujitsu FIP and Toppan Printing will aim to further enhance the added value of gift card services, and strengthen sales, focusing on distribution and service industries throughout Japan, in order to further expand gift card services as they become popular on a large scale.

*3: Gift Card Mall
A business model whereby a company displays and sells gift cards from other companies in its own stores.
It is a method of sales that is unique to gift cards where a range of design is possible and value is not generated until the card is charged.

*4: iTunes Card
A prepaid card for use on the iTunes Store operated by Apple Inc.

*5: Expansion to channels such as online shops
HMV is planning sales and use of the HMV Gift Card on its HMV ONLINE (http://www.hmv.co.jp) and HMV MOBILE(http://m.hmv.co.jp)online shops. HMV also plans to increase sales channels for its own card and expand the range of other companies’ gift cards that it handles.

HMV Japan KK
HMV Japan opened its first store in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 1990 and since then has expanded to 58 stores in Japan specializing in music and visual media software.
HMV ONLINE, which was launched in 1999, and HMV MOBILE, launched in 2000, are also continuing to grow as specialist online music, visual media and book stores with around 3 million titles available. In June 2007, the point systems for HMV stores, HMV ONLINE and HMV MOBILE were integrated, meaning points can be accumulated and used both in shops and via the internet, and there are a total of around 4 million HMV store members’ card holders and online members.
HMV JAPAN intends to support entertainment for all music and visual media fans with a corporate message of -the music & movie master-. For more information visit HMV Japan’s website (http://www.hmv.co.jp/).

Trademarks
All product names and other proper names in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.