Money Tigers was the Japanese TV format that inspired Britain’s Dragons' Den.
The Japanese programme, known as Money no Tora and translated as Money Tigers, established the central television concept: entrepreneurs present business proposals to wealthy investors and request funding for an ownership stake.
The format was adapted internationally, with different countries changing the title, investor terminology and presentation style. In Britain, the investors became dragons, creating the name Dragons' Den. The United States later used the title Shark Tank for its adaptation.
A common mistake is to identify Shark Tank as the original source because it is now internationally prominent. Shark Tank is another adaptation, not the Japanese origin of the format. The British programme therefore sits within a wider international franchise whose roots are in Japanese television.