Seven-Eleven Japan Co's president said Friday that Japan's largest convenience store operator will start opening up outlets around fiscal 2019 in Okinawa, the only area in the country without Seven-Eleven stores.
President Kazuki Furuya told Okinawa Gov Takeshi Onaga at the southern Japanese prefecture's government office the company is aiming to set up some 250 stores over the period of five years.
"We are finally ready to open our shops in Okinawa. We hope to create good stores and contribute to Okinawa's economy," Furuya told the governor, who welcomed the offer by saying, "I feel very happy about it."
The convenience store operator said it is planning to open stores mainly in the prefecture's capital Naha, and establish a subsidiary in Okinawa to ensure smooth operation of the new stores.
Seven-Eleven Japan opened outlets in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan and Tottori Prefecture in the west in 2015, leaving Okinawa the last among the country's 47 prefectures without its stores.
