Tokyo hosted the first McDonald’s restaurant in Asia, which opened in 1971.
McDonald’s entered the Japanese market through a partnership involving Den Fujita, founder of the Japanese company that operated the restaurants. The first location opened in Tokyo’s Ginza district, one of the city’s best-known commercial areas.
The Japanese launch was an important branding step because McDonald’s adapted its familiar restaurant identity to a new market while retaining the Golden Arches, standardized service model, and recognizable product branding. Japan later became one of McDonald’s largest international markets.
This opening is sometimes confused with the company’s first international restaurant, which was in Canada. Japan was the first McDonald’s market in Asia, not the first market outside the United States.