The original Money Tigers format that inspired Dragons' Den was created in Japan.
Money Tigers established the central television concept of entrepreneurs presenting business proposals to a panel of wealthy investors. The format was subsequently adapted for broadcasters in numerous countries, with local titles and different panels of investors.
The British adaptation was produced by the BBC and used the dragon metaphor for its investors. Other countries adopted different imagery and names; the United States version, for example, is known as Shark Tank.
Japan is sometimes overlooked because Dragons' Den is strongly identified with British television. However, the British programme is one national version of an international format, not the original creation of the pitch-show concept.