I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Rakuten (Tokyo) in Nov 2013
Interview
it took me about 2 months to go through entire process. The most annoying part was you need to submit an essay on two books written by CEO. Also, when applying, you need to record a online video while answering 5 questions, which is the first screening process.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Please explain the most difficult project you were involved in the past 3 years.