In Pixar's Cars 2, Japan is the first country visited during the World Grand Prix.
The film opens the international racing event in Tokyo, where Lightning McQueen competes against drivers from around the world. The Tokyo setting introduces the sequel's broader global scale and places Mater at the center of a spy adventure involving secret agents and a criminal conspiracy.
After Japan, the World Grand Prix continues to Porto Corsa in Italy and then to London in the United Kingdom. The sequence of locations is important because each race also advances the espionage plot, rather than functioning only as a sports spectacle.
Japan is sometimes confused with the film's other major locations because the story moves rapidly between races and spy missions. Tokyo is the opening World Grand Prix venue; London hosts the finale, while Porto Corsa is the middle race location.