[ITmedia Business Online] LINE Yahoo returns to the office, its trump card is a “new office that feels like home”, a “lounging lounge”, “attention in front of the conference room”, etc.

LINE Yahoo has transitioned from full remote work to hybrid work where people come into the office three days a week in principle. The company opened a new office in May 2026, as it became difficult to accommodate all of its employees at its main office, Kioicho.

Amid various opinions from both inside and outside the company about returning to the office, the company established an ``Office Subcommittee'' across all departments to create a new office. After a project period of over a year, the company has carefully thought out an office that makes it easy for employees to come to work. The keyword that emerges from the company's new office is ``Make coming to work easier.''

``Up until now, we have been working fully remotely, so I can understand why some employees might be opposed to returning to the office,'' says Shinpei Sato (Design Headquarters) at LINE Yahoo, who was at the core of creating the new office. He emphasizes that it's still worth coming to work and working face-to-face.

The company has recreated the ease and comfort of working from home in its new office. What kind of efforts did you make? We spoke to Mr. Shinpei Sato and Mr. Takashi Sakaguchi (Human Resources and General Affairs CBU, General Affairs Unit Unit Lead), who were at the core of creating the new office.

The aim of the new office is to make coming to work “easy”

The new LINE Yahoo office is located in Akasaka Trust Tower, just outside of Tameike-Sanno Station on the Tokyo Metro. Approximately 7,000 people work in a vast space of approximately 54,000 square meters on 16 floors.

At the entrance on the 14th floor, you will be greeted by the company's original characters, ``Brown'' and ``Kensaku.'' An angle called the "innovation edge" (62 degrees), which is reminiscent of a leap forward, can be seen everywhere, such as on the entrance bench and lighting design.

The company discontinued full remote in April 2025. It has been announced that on April 1, 2026, the number of times employees will be required to come to work will be increased to three times a week. As people moved back to offices, a new base was needed.

The project to launch the new office began in January 2025. Starting with a total of three workshops at the office subcommittee, where representatives from all departments gathered, the team met about twice a week to discuss keywords, concept design, and functionality. The key word that came to mind was "making coming to work easier."

"There are some aspects of an office that can't compete with the comfort of home during remote work. However, when you think about the ease of working, going to the office allows you to have face-to-face meetings with colleagues, communicate with colleagues, and have lunch together, which can lead to improved work quality and satisfaction. In terms of functionality, we were conscious of making it easier to come to work, and we designed the space so that ``the office is at the end of the flow of daily life.'' (Mr. Sato)

During the office subcommittee, engineers and designers expressed a variety of opinions, including ``I want dual monitors, a sit-stand desk, and partitions,'' and sales representatives ``I want a place that promotes communication.'' The new office was designed based on three keywords: "Talk" (friendliness/co-creation), "Boost" (innovation/creativity), and "Easy" (ease of understanding/comfort).

Now let's take a look inside the office.