BEIJING Rising Corp has teamed up with Japan-based Softbank to tap the anti-virus market in Japan, which has ''become a key income contributor to the company's revenue,'' China's No. 1 Internet security firm said yesterday.

Sales of Rising's anti-virus software in Japan have jumped to 1 million sets since it entered the Japanese market six years ago.

"Japan's market has become a key income contributor to the company's revenue,'' Miao Yiding, Rising's vice president, said in a statement yesterday.

Rising's market share in Japan's anti-virus market has risen to 10.9 percent, ranking the firm No. 3 in the country, Business Computer News reported.

Rising has banded with Softbank to compete with giants like Symantec and Trend in the Japanese market. Softbank's business ties with 80 percent of software outlets will provide Rising strong distribution channels in Japan.

Rising has also cooperated with gaming firms like Capcom to launch special Internet security tools for games in the Japanese market.

Other Chinese firms like Kingsoft and Baidu have also penetrated Japan's Internet and software market.

Similarities exist between the two markets which use similar handwriting scripts.

Revenue of China's consumer Internet security market was 1.22 billion yuan (US$175 million) in 2007 and it is set to hit 1.7 billion yuan in 2010, according to iResearch Inc, a Shanghai-based research firm.