Rakuten CEO Mikitani smiles during a news conference in Tokyo.
Japan's biggest online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. Chief Executive Officer Hiroshi Mikitani smiles during a news conference in Tokyo November 2, 2004. Rakuten won a hotly contested battle for a new baseball franchise on Tuesday, bringing down the curtain to the drama involving the local sport, which unfolded outside the baseball diamond. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao YN