Cloud distributor rhipe and Japan Business Systems, a 29-year-old Microsoft partner, formed a joint venture in Japan. JBS will own 20% of the joint-venture, and will take on responsibility for local personnel, office space, localisation, market knowledge and operational support at launch. rhipe will own the other 80%, taking responsibility for business planning, market launch and back-office operations, as well as use of rhipe's platform for recurring subscription management. Financial terms were not disclosed. “The announcement of this JV with JBS is a significant step in rhipe’s ongoing expansion," said rhipe chief executive Dominic O'Hanlon.