Sir Richard Branson is to launch Virgin Radio in Japan and Australia within a year, the Guardian reports today.

Local stations are already available in the US, Thailand, China and France and are seen by Branson as a stepping stone for launching other Virgin products in foreign markets.

Branson's spokesman Will Whitehorn told the newspaper: "We developed Virgin Radio successfully in the UK and it was always the long-term ambition to develop radio in areas where we want to develop the Virgin brand - it helps with awareness."

He added that the next six months would be spent "looking at companies and potential partners" in Australia, where the venture will involve a network rather than just one station.