Money Tigers is the Japanese television programme that originated the format adapted as the UK's Dragon's Den.
The Japanese show, known as Money no Tora, featured entrepreneurs presenting business proposals to wealthy investors. The investors could choose whether to provide funding, creating the negotiation-based structure that became central to later international versions.
The UK programme retained the basic idea but changed the branding, presentation style, investor lineup, and production details for British television. In Britain, the investors became known as Dragons, while the original Japanese title is commonly translated into English as Money Tigers.
It is easy to assume that Dragon's Den was created in Britain because the UK series became so influential. In fact, Britain was one of several countries to license and adapt a format that began in Japan.