Social gaming giant Zynga has now confirmed that it will be closing down its Japan operation , as it continues to consolidate its operations and cut less profitable parts of its business. The spectre of pulling out of that market was first raised in October when the company laid off 5% of its employees. Today, the CEO of the Japan operation, Kenji Matsubara, posted the news confirming the closure, (ironically) on Facebook, the social network that has been so closely tied to Zynga’s rise and fall. No direct reason for the closure is given but it is likely linked to poor sales for its games in Japan. The news was first spotted by Serkan Toto , who posted a screenshot of the status update from the CEO: He notes that the Japanese text reads as follows: “Zynga Japan will be shut down at the end of January, that Matsubara thanks users for playing his company’s games, and that service for popular card battle game Ayakashi will be continued.” The site now bears a similar message, with an indirect hint that while a few games have proven popular and will continue to be supported, others have not: In translation (very, very roughly, using Google Translate), that reads: “ Notice of dissolution of a Japanese corporation Thank you for patronizing always Zynga Japan. that we will continue to work but I get the kindness of everybody over two and a half years since its establishment as the Japanese subsidiary of U.S. Read more »