History of the Market.
Japan Market
The franchise industry started in
1963. It was originally developed
in the QSR sector by a Japanese
restaurant company in Kyoto. The
franchising industry has since
become a multi-billion dollar
industry across a wide range of
sectors.
Overseas franchising has helped
the development of Japan's
franchise industry since the early
1970's and the number of
companies that have chain
headquarters located in Japan has
surged since the appearance of
foreign capital companies.
Over the years Japanese
consumers have become open to
overseas franchise concepts
although care must be taken to
match products/services to local
tastes, culture and thinking.
Foreign franchising businesses
should not always think Tokyo,
Japan has a choice of economic
regions, as will be discussed later
in this edition, each with their
individual benefits and slightly
different tastes.
There are a number of ways to
enter the market:
1. Establish an office in Japan
and open a corporately
owned subsidiary.
2. Enter into joint venture
partnership.
3. Sign a Master franchise
agreement.
4. Run a test bed shop via an
individual franchisee.
Key Franchise Points
* Opening an office in Japan requires a Japanese registered
Director however a satellite office can be opened by a foreigner