(Yicai Global) Sept. 26 -- Didi Japan, a year-old taxi-hailing firm owned by Chinese ride-sharing platform Didi Chuxing and local conglomerate SoftBank Group, plans to expand into eight more cities before the end of this year.

The joint venture will kick-start the move by entering Niigata prefecture on Oct. 9, Didi said online yesterday. It is already present in 12 major regions, including the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Didi Japan provides local language services but also allows users of the Didi Greater China app to reserve taxis in the country.

The JV, which celebrated its first anniversary yesterday, already leads the market in Osaka and covers half of the Japanese population, around 50 million people. It has also partnered with over 300 local taxi operators, Didi Japan's Chief Operating Officer Lin Li told Xinhua.

Editor: James Boynton