KFC in Japan facts for kids
A stand-alone KFC drive-through unit in Hachinohe, Japan
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Native name
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日本KFCホールディングス株式会社
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Formerly
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"Old" Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, Ltd. (1970–2014) |
| Traded as | TYO: 9873 |
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | July 4, 1970 |
| Headquarters |
Ebisuminami, Shibuya
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Area served
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Japan |
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Key people
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Masaki Kondo (President) |
| Brands | Redroof Pizza, Pizza Hut Japan, Natural Dining |
| Owner | Mitsubishi Corporation (35.12%) |
| Subsidiaries | Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, Ltd. |
KFC, which stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a very popular fast food chain. It is famous for its delicious fried chicken. KFC started in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the second biggest restaurant chain in the world, right after McDonald's.
KFC has many restaurants in 118 countries. Japan is a very important market for KFC. It is the third largest market after China and the United States. In Japan, many people buy KFC chicken to take home. They often enjoy it for parties and other special events.
Contents
How KFC Started in Japan
KFC Japan began as a partnership between the American KFC company and Mitsubishi Corporation from Japan. They worked together to bring KFC to Japan. After four years of talking, Mitsubishi got the rights to open KFC restaurants there.
The very first test store opened in March 1970. This was at the Osaka World Expo, a big international fair.
Opening the First Stores
After the test store did well, the first real KFC restaurant opened. This was in November 1970, in a suburban area of Nagoya. KFC wanted to open stores outside of cities. However, Mitsubishi thought city centers were better. This was because not many people in Japan owned cars back then.
Two more stores opened in suburban Osaka. But these stores did not do well. They lost a lot of money in less than a year. Because of this, Mitsubishi's idea for city center locations was tried next.
Success in City Centers
The new plan worked! The first KFC in a city center opened in 1972 in Kobe. This was a nice area with many Western people living there. This strategy was a big success. By December 1973, there were 100 KFC restaurants in Japan.
Harland Sanders, the founder of KFC, visited Japan several times. He came in 1972, 1978, and 1980. By 1983, Japan had 390 KFC restaurants. It was the biggest foreign market for KFC.
KFC Japan grew a lot during the 1980s. By 1993, there were 1,000 restaurants. However, opening too many stores too fast caused problems. Some restaurants ended up competing with each other. About 100 stores closed down in the mid-1990s.
In 2007, Mitsubishi Corporation took over most of KFC Japan.
KFC and Christmas in Japan
In 1970, a KFC manager named Takeshi Okawara had an idea. He started selling "party barrels" of fried chicken for Christmas dinner. At that time, Christmas was not a widely celebrated holiday in Japan. There were not many traditions for it.
Okawara thought the chicken could be a fun way to celebrate. It was also a good substitute for a traditional American turkey dinner.
KFC Japan started promoting this idea all over the country in 1974. They used a famous advertising campaign called "Kentucky for Christmas" (Japanese: クリスマスはケンタッキー). Eating KFC for Christmas has now become a popular custom in Japan. In fact, sales around Christmas Eve make up almost five percent of KFC Japan's yearly earnings.
