Uber Technologies Inc.'s strategy for Japan, where ride-sharing is banned, is as unique as the country itself — think grandma in running shoes delivering ramen noodles.
Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi was in Japan last week to stress the importance of the market, where the San Francisco-based company has built a growing food delivery business but kept rides limited to black-car hires and taxi dispatches.
Japan is also home to Uber's biggest shareholder, SoftBank Group Corp., and where Khosrowshahi is planning to boost staff in the coming year.