Apple's top-grossing music game maker in Japan, KLab Inc., wants to add partners in China to sustain growth and build on the success of its Love Live! project.

Love Live! is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine, music label Lantis and animation studio Sunrise.

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It features songs sung by animated schoolgirl characters that players tap along with.

Last June, Love Live! also offered Chinese and Korean versions after it reached 3 million downloads in May.

KLab President Tetsuya Sanada said the company plans to increase its operating profit to half the total within next two years, with roughly three percent coming from its overseas gaming business.

To begin the plan, KLab partnered with a software company, Qihoo 360 Technology Co. (QIHU), and game developer, Shanda Games Ltd., to expand in China.

The company will self-publish games outside Japan starting 2015.

KLab also joins other Japanese gaming companies like Square Enix Holdings Co. and GungHo Online Entertainment Inc., that want to boost domestic growth by expanding overseas.

Sanada said that China's smartphone game market has huge potential for their goal.

“It may surpass Japan and U.S. combined. China’s smartphone market is growing very fast,” he added.

In October 2013, Japan beat the U.S. as the top-grossing market for applications as smartphones were using wireless mobile carriers and began billing customers directly for their downloads via Google Play.

KLab has roughly 700 employees and offices in Philippines, China, Singapore, and the United States.

TagsKLab, Love Live, gaming companies, games, Tech, Japanese cartoon characters