What was the title of the Japanese programme on which Dragon's Den was based?

The Japanese programme on which Dragon's Den was based was titled Money Tigers.

Money Tigers was a Japanese business reality programme created by Nippon Television. Its participants included entrepreneurs seeking funding and wealthy investors who judged their proposals. The structure provided the model for the later international Dragons' Den franchise.

The Japanese title is also translated or transliterated as Money no Tora. “Tiger” is the key image in the original title, whereas the British adaptation uses “dragon” for its investor panel. This difference can make the source programme difficult to identify from English-language references alone.

The British series retained the central idea of a face-to-face pitch and an equity negotiation, but it localized the investors, businesses and television presentation. Money Tigers should not be confused with Shark Tank, the separately branded US adaptation of the same broad international format.