Which country became McDonald’s first Asian market?

Japan became McDonald’s first Asian market.

McDonald’s entered Japan in 1971 through a partnership involving Den Fujita and the Japanese company Nihon McDonald’s. The first restaurant opened in Tokyo’s Ginza district, one of the city’s most prominent commercial areas.

The Japanese launch demonstrated how McDonald’s could preserve its global visual identity while adapting its business to local conditions. The Golden Arches remained central to the branding, but the company operated in a different language, retail environment, and food culture.

China is often supplied as the answer because it later became one of McDonald’s largest and most strategically important Asian markets. However, Japan was the first Asian country where McDonald’s opened restaurants. Singapore and South Korea also joined the company later.