Smartphone messaging company Line Corp. said Monday that the number of its global users has topped the 300 million mark, partly because it is offering the services in various languages.

"The next goal is to top 500 million (users worldwide) next year," Line CEO Akira Morikawa said during an in-house event commemorating the Tokyo-based firm's accomplishment.

Morikawa said Line has been striving to "connect people" since its operations began in June 2011, a few months after the March 2011 disasters, and expressed hope to "expand its network to Europe and North America after entering the Asian and South American" markets.

Line said in a statement the same day that its users continue to grow in other parts of East Asia and in Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain and Mexico.

The Line messaging app offers users a free chatting and calling service and is now being offered in 16 languages, including Japanese and English. It features colorful characters and emoticons to express the senders' feelings in the text messages.

Line said it had topped the 200 million mark in July and was aiming to achieve the 300 million mark by the end of the year.

Among other avenues for future growth, Line said it hopes to begin a mail order business for smartphone users in December.