Softbank, KDDI to offer Apple's iPad mini in Japan

Both Softbank Corp and KDDI Corp will offer Apple Inc's 7.9-inch version of the iPad in Japan, Apple said on its Japanese website on Wednesday, competing with one another as well as with Google Inc's Nexus 7 and Rakuten Inc's Kobo e-reader here.

Softbank is betting on a $20 billion bid to buy control of U.S. telco Sprint Nextel Corp and diversify away from Japan's saturated market dominated by NTT Docomo.

(Reporting by Reiji Murai, writing by Mayumi Negishi; Editing by Eric Meijer)