McDonald’s opened its first Japanese restaurant in 1971 at the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
The restaurant opened on July 20, 1971, through a partnership between McDonald’s and entrepreneur Den Fujita. Its Ginza location placed the American fast-food brand in one of Tokyo’s best-known commercial districts and gave the company a prominent platform for introducing its identity to Japanese customers.
The Japanese launch became an important example of McDonald’s international branding strategy. The company retained its core name and recognizable visual style while adapting operations and offerings to local conditions.
Japan is sometimes associated with the later creation of unusual regional menu items, but the key historical milestone is the opening date of the first restaurant. The first location was in Tokyo, not Osaka or Kyoto.