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History

1971 May Established the company (now known as Japan McDonald's Holdings Co., Ltd.)
June Opened “Hamburger University” to enhance people development
July Opened the first restaurant (Ginza restaurant) on July 20 at ground floor of Tokyo Ginza Miitsukoshi department store
Menu such as “Hamburger”, “Cheeseburger”, “Filet-O-Fish®”, “Big Mac®”, “Mc French Fries”, “Apple pie”, and “ McShake®” were offered
1973 March Started a campaign with a unified theme of “AJINA KOTOYARU (do it in style) McDonald’s”
1975 December System-wide annual sales exceeded 10 billion yen
1976 February Opened Makiminato (Okinawa prefecture), the company’s first franchised restaurant in Japan
December Opened Kisarazu (Chiba prefecture), the company’s 100th restaurant in Japan
1977 March Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS) is enacted, and McDonald’s beef patty receives ‘Grade A’ certification
October Opened Kanpachi-takaido (Tokyo), Japan’s first restaurant equipped with a full-scale drive-thru system (“Kanpachi Takaido restaurant”, Suginami ward, Tokyo)
1978 October Adopted the POS system
October Opened Enoshima (Kanagawa prefecture), the 5,000th restaurant in the world
1980 May Started a campaign with a unified theme of “SEKAI-NO KOTOBA McDonald’s (McDonald’s is the globally known word)”
December System-wide annual sales exceeded 50 billion yen
1981 July Opened Yokoyama-Motomachi (Kanagawa prefecture), the company’s 300th restaurant
November Received Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize in Food Service Industry Division in recognition of establishing hamburger industry in Japan, building management system for fast food stores, and contribution in improvement of dietary habits
1982 December System-wide annual sales exceeded 70.2 billion yen, ranking top in sales in food service industry
1984 February Introduced “Chicken Mc Nugget” on a national scale
April Started a campaign with a unified theme of “OISHII EGAO McDonald’s (Tasty Smile McDonald’s)”
October System-wide annual sales exceeded 100 billion yen
1985 February Introduced breakfast menu
August Opened Yoga-Interchange (Tokyo), the company’s 500th restaurant
1987 November “Thank You Set” receives a “New Word & Buzz Word Prize” public award
1989 March Offered “Teriyaki Mac Burger”
April Offered “Bacon Lettuce Burger”
June Started a campaign with a unified theme of “DAKARA… McDonald’s (After all…it’s McDonald’s)”
1991 December Achieved annual sales of 200 billion yen, first time in food service industry
1993 July Opened Mizuho-Dori (Aichi prefecture), the company’s 1,000th restaurant
1995 August Celebrated the 10th sponsorship year of “All-Japan school child rubber baseball tournament” and change its name to “McDonald’s Tournament”, a nationwide event
1996 July July 20 was selected to celebrate the “Hamburger Day”
November Opened Daikoku Parking Area (Kanagawa prefecture), the company’s 2,000 restaurant in the Metropolitan Expressway parking area
1999 April Founded Donald McDonald House Charities Japan Den Fujita (now known as Ronald McDonald House Charities Japan)
August Opened Kanpachi-Otorii (Tokyo), the company’s 3,000th restaurant
2000 February Initiated the “Weekdays Smile” program
“Hamburger” and “Cheese Burger” at half price of 65yen and 80yen each during weekdays
2001 July Lists company on JASDAQ market
December Opened the first “Donald McDonald House” in Japan (“Setagaya House” in Setagaya ward, Tokyo / an accommodation facility next to a hospital to support sick children and their families)
2002 March Den Fujita assumes the office of Representative Director, Chairman. Yasuyuki Yagi assumes the office of Representative Director, President .
July Changed the corporate name to “McDonald’s Holdings Company (Japan), Ltd.” and newly established “McDonald’s Company (Japan), Ltd.” a wholly owned subsidiary company. Increased capital to 24,113,770,000 yen
2003 September Started “i'm lovin' it”, a worldwide campaign
2004 February Eiko Harada assumes the office of Representative Director,CEO
December Introduced “Made For You (MFY)”, an made-to-order cooking system
2005 March Implemented “McDonald’s Eco Campaign” to call for garbage reduction at all restaurants in Aichi prefecture during the Aichi Expo
April Two courses of 'Hamburger University' are certified as "YES - program" for Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry of junior employment foundation ability support project
July Launched “Food Education Hour”, a food education website for children as part of CSR activities
2006 April Enhanced 24hour operation with stronger focus on drive-thru restaurants
June Received the 14th Best Food Service Business Operator Award Project
Received Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize in environmental conscious division
November Marked the 5th year of McDonald’s “World Children’s Day.” Donated 164 million yen to Ronald McDonald House Charities collected mainly by the Happy Meal One Yen Donation and donation boxes at McDonald’s restaurants
December Renewed annual all-store sales for the first time in five years (441,516 million yen)
2007 January A record hit of “Mega Mac” offered for a limited time
Renewed the daily all-store sales on Sunday, January 14 (2,447 million yen)
March Achieved new record sales in three categories of daily, monthly and yearly
September Sponsored team minus 6% “CO2 1kg Reduction per person per day” support campaign
October Opens “Studio M”, a comprehensive research institute to study and verify quality, service and new products
December Annual sales volume of Happy Meal Set exceeded 100 million units for the first time in company history
2008 February Introduces “Premium Roast Coffee”; enjoy a premium coffee time with 100yen Mac
November Opened “QUARTER POUNDER® SHOP” for a limited time period in Omotesando, Shibuya
Introduces “QUARTER POUNDER®” as regular menu item from the Kanto region
December All-store sales exceeded 500 billion yen for the first time in Japan’s food service industry
Established a new record in number of Happy Meal sales, exceeding 1.2 million units in one day
2009 February Selected as an official partner of All Japan team for World Baseball Classic™ and backed up the All Japan team through the “Support Campaign”
April Opened “QUARTER POUNDER® SHOP 428” for two days only at Shibuya Toei Plaza restaurant in celebration of the national launch of “QUARTER POUNDER®.” Renewed daily restaurant sales (12.45 million yen) on Wednesday, April 29 (holiday)
June Nation-wide introduction of “Mac de DS”, a new McDonald’s service using the “Nintendo DS®”
Special sponsorship for “Delicious and Eating Scientific Exhibition” and held events related to food education
December Yui Nakayama, a restaurant crew in Tokyo won the right to compete in the “Voice of McDonald’s 2010” global competition
2010 January Introduced “Big America” campaign and offered “Texas Burger”, “New York Burger”, “California Burger”, and “Hawaiian Burger” for a limited time
Renewed daily all-store sales on Sunday, January 17 (2,813,140,000 yen)
March Introduces restaurant-wide smoke-free in the Kanagawa prefecture (fully closed-off smoking rooms for some restaurants).
Started on Monday, March 1, 2010 at 298 restaurants and expands to other prefectures.
2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa Games
Selected eleven “McDonald’s Escort Kids”
June Participated in Ministry of the Environment’s “Challenge 25 / Light Down Campaign”
Achieved monthly all-store sales record on August 2010 (51,392,000,000yen)
November McDonald's Original Calendar “Pokémon Calendar 2010” was certified as “World's Most Popular Calendar” by Guinness World Record
Osaka Prefecture and McDonald’s restaurants, listed as selected areas of "Ministry of the Environment Challenge 25 Regional Development Project" launched a verification project to reduce CO2 by 25%
December Launches McDonald’s official app for smartphones from December
2011 April Completed introduction of McCafe “Specialty Coffee” in about 2,500 restaurants nationwide
Opened Nonoichi-Shinjo (Ishikawa prefecture), Japan’s first new generation design drive-thru restaurant
June Implemented “Power Saving Campaign” for 160,000 McDonald's crew nationwide in preparation for power shortage during summer season
October Became the first volunteer sponsor of Tokyo Marathon and supported approximately 10,000 “TEAM SMILE” volunteer staff of “2012 Tokyo Marathon”
2012 March Celebrated the 10th anniversary of presenting security whistles to all grade 1 students in 47 prefectures nationwide, and distributed 874,260 whistles
April Implemented a joint campaign with Japan Newspaper Association at one selected restaurant in each of the 47 prefectures. Offered a free newspaper morning edition to customers who made a purchase.
June Selected five “London Olympic McDonald’s All Japan Crew” from 170,000 crew nationwide to offer best service in London.
2013 January Presented a free Big Mac® at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide to all who reached the age of 20 years old as part of “Coming of Age Day Campaign”
June Implemented “”BITE! QUARTER POUNDER®” Project” to create a new QUARTER POUNDER® world
July Implemented “QUARTER POUNDER® JEWELRY”, a one day only and limited quantity campaign, the first in McDonald’s history
August Sarah L. Casanova assumes office of Representative Director, President and CEO, McDonald’s Company (Japan), Ltd.
2014 March Sarah L. Casanova assumes office of Representative Director, President and CEO.
April Distributed 890,000 security whistles, the highest ever, to grade 1 students at 47 prefectures nationwide
May Implemented “2014 FIFA World Cup™ Campaign” from Tuesday, May 27
June Dispatched 11 “McDonald’s Escort Kids”, selected from 9,964 boys and girls applicants nationwide, to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Brazil Tournament.
Entered the field hand in hand with players on Friday, June 20 (Japan vs. Greece)
July Enhanced actions to offer products that are safe and offer peace of mind. Disclosed a more detailed information of country of origin and took additional measures on quality control system
August Opened “Let’s Talk about Quality Control” (McDonald’s All About Q&A) Q&A website as part of actions to ensure safety and peace of mind
Source all chicken from Thailand and resumes sales of “CHICKEN CRISP”, “Chicken Crisp McMuffin” and “Chicken Egg Muffin” nationwide from Monday, August 11
November Sales of “2015 YOUKAI CALENDAR” exceeded 1.5 million copies in the first two weeks
2015 April Implemented “Smile Socks Campaign”, a charity promotion program as part of Donald McDonald House 40th anniversary. “Smile Socks” were offered to customers who donated 300yen or more at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.
Launches “KODO”, a smartphone app that connects customers and restaurants on Tuesday, April 21 at nationwide restaurants
May Initiates “Mom’s Eye Project” as part of disclosure initiatives on food safety and peace of mind
Introduces new products with more vegetables and easy to understanding price setting and menu board, starting from “McSmile Day” on Monday, May 25
October Launched three types of “Otegoro Mac®” new burgers as part of regular menu from Monday, October 26
Major overhaul of company’s official website with a disclosure of detailed information on individual products. Prints product package with a large and readily noticeable ‘QR code’ to provide access to company website.
2016 February Offered ”Name It Burger” from Tuesday, February 2, the first approach in McDonald’s Japan’s history. Officially named as “Kitano Iitoko Gyutto Burger” from a total of 5,016,926 customer suggestions.
March Opened “Myself in the Future”, a special website from Wednesday, March 16 including “Join the Crew Campaign” anime series following a novice crew on her journey to grow
June Launched “McDonald’s Ura Menu” for the first time in company history, offering 285 ways of fun including three different toppings, from Wednesday, June 15 at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide
July McDonald’s Japan signed sole launch partnership for the “Pokémon GO”
August Seven “McDonald’s Olympic Kids” selected from about 4,000 applicants nationwide marched at the Rio de Janeriro Olympics opening ceremony
Japan representatives of McDonald’s “Olympic Champion Crew” shines at the special-setup Olympic Village McDonald’s restaurant
September Launches “Value Lunch”, a value meal available during weekday lunch hours. Introduced new menu board and new counter top menu. Revamped drink cup and paper bag designs.
October Offered “Texas Burger” and “Bacon Potato Pie” as part of “Your Love! A Big Revival 45th Anniversary Campaign”
November Offered “Cheese Cutlet Burger” as third item of “Your Love! A Big Revival 45th Anniversary Campaign”
Offered “Kalbi Mac” as fourth item of “Your Love! A Big Revival 45th Anniversary Campaign”
2017 January The 1st McDonald's General Election was held from January 6. Double Cheese won the 1st place and Triple Cheese Burger was released for limited period of time from February 1 to carry out the campaign pledge.
March McDonald's Made for You, a made-to-order kitchen system, won the ""Food Industry Mottainai Award: MAFF
Food Industry Affairs Bureau Director Award"" for food loss reduction.
The d-Point service was launched at McDonald's on Wednesday, March 1 to improve convenience at its restaurants. The Rakuten Super Point service was introduced on June 1 and customers became able to pay by e-money including nanaco and Suica from Tuesday, August 1. The credit card settlement service was introduced on Monday, November 20. McDonald's increased the convenience of payment by accepting more e-currencies.
April Three sandwiches of the Gran series made with authentic thicker 100% beef patties were launched on Wednesday, April 5 as the 1st new permanent beef menu item in 8 years at McDonald's.
May "McFlurry® Morinaga Milk Caramel, a collaboration with Morinaga Milk Caramel, was offered for a limited period of time from Wednesday, May 31.
McShake® x Calpis® was sold for limited period of time from Wednesday, June 21, followed in succession by McFlurry® Black Thunder from Wednesday, August 16, McShake® Chelsea from Wednesday, September 13 and McFlurry® Panapp Grape from Wednesday, October 25."
June A delivery service UberEAT was introduced in 33 McDonald's restaurants in Tokyo to further enhance customers' convenience.
August Mac or Makudo?: The 1st official tastiness showdown to decide the nickname of McDonald's, the "East and West Showdown" campaign, started on Wednesday, August 9. Tokyo Roast Beef Burger was released representing the Mac team and Osaka Beef Cutlet Burger representing the Makudo team for a limited period of time, and the Makudo team won! A part of the company's official website was translated into the Kansai dialect for a limited period of time.
September The 1st renewal of Tsukimi Burger in its 26-years history! Tsukimi Burger II was sold for a limited period of time from Wednesday, September 6 and a new sandwich made with double beef patties, Gesshoku Burger, was released in a limited quantity from Friday, September 29, the Meat Day
October McHappy Day, a charity activity conducted on an annual basis in several nations, was carried out on October 22 for the time in Japan. McDonald's contributed 50 yen for each Happy Meal sold and a total of 40,361,395 yen including money contributed in donation boxes in the McDonald's restaurants went to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
November Limited time offer of McDonald’s new American Burger series “American Deluxe” from Wednesday, November 1
2018 January 1st round of “Motto Oishisa Kojo Sengen + Value” in 2018!
Cafe Latte was revamped for the first time under the complete supervision of the world’s no.1 barista.
Launched on Monday, January 15 at nationwide restaurants, starting at 150 yen for small size
McDonald’s joined with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Kagoshima University, and the Food Safety Management Association (FSMA) to promote the “Development of Human Resources Specializing in Food Safety through Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration”
February - Nurturing the heart to take care of personal belongings - a joint program with the Ministry of the Environment.
“Happy Reborn” project to recycle Happy Set® premium toys launched at nationwide restaurants from Friday, February 23
March Double the patty for an extra 100 yen for regular burger items!
Introduction of “Yoru Mac®” at nationwide restaurants from 5pm Monday, March 17!
May Limited time offer and public voting on the “Regular Menu Contestant Audition” launched at Wednesday, May 9.
The winner, “Teriyaki Chicken Fillet®” joined the regular menu lineups and “Thank you for your cheer! sale coupon”, redeemable for 11 days from Thursday, May 31 was issued.
A complete revamp of “Hamburger University”
June More focus on actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gradual introduction of FSC certified tray mats at approximately 2,900 restaurants nationwide from Wednesday, June 27.
July The evolution of children’s favorite Happy Meal Set®, now in its 31st year!
Introduction of Happy Meal Books on Friday, July 20.
October “McHappy Day” on Sunday, October 28.
Heartfelt support from customers at our restaurants and the “Charity Auction” where many celebrities including entertainers and athletes submit items raised a total of 44,813,100 yen in donation.
November The “Happy Reborn” project collected approximately 1.27 million Happy Meal® premium toys and recycled them into restaurant serving trays!
Approximately 100,000 recycled trays will be introduced in sequence to nationwide restaurants from Thursday, November 15, 2018.
Simultaneous launch of the two legendary American Burger!
“American Deluxe” campaign starts on Wednesday, November 7.
Limited offer of “Texas Burger 2018” and “Idaho Burger 2018.”
December KODO, an app that connects customers and restaurants.
The number of customer feedbacks exceeds the 12 million mark.
2019 March Tamotsu Hiiro assumes the office of the President and CEO of McDonald’s Company (Japan), Ltd.
“Food Education Time”, a digital teaching tool about food education and used by more than 185,000 elementary and junior high school students, is revamped to “Food Education +” for the first time in 14 years since its production! Includes new contents of “food allergies” and “food loss” designed to teach the need to be selective about foods, an ability needed for modern children.
April Launch of the 600 yen “Value Lunch", a value menu set is now available during weekdays lunch hours!
Our popular “Big Mac®” and Gran Bacon Cheese®” burgers are added to the Value Lunch lineups starting Wednesday, April 10.
For the first time in Japan, menu items popular in overseas appear in the “Big Mac®” series!
Limited time offer of “Big Mac® Junior”, “Grand Big Mac®”, and “Giga Big Mac®” from Wednesday, April 17.
June McDonald’s Japan and the Yomiuri Shimbun launch a joint transportation of salt and newspapers!
For the first time, 3 government ministries jointly certify this business plan, namely the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
July - A total of 10 million books! Thank you! Campaign -
Order “Happy Meal®” and receive all the picture books and mini illustrated books printed to date.
A 7-day limited time offer of the Happy Meal® Book from Friday, July 19 to Thursday 25th in celebration of its 1 year anniversary.
October Fitting for a modern restaurant, easy to move in, and comes with a McDonald’s feel…
Revamp of McDonald’s uniform for the first time in 6 years! Designed to further reflect diversity.
- Introduce in stages from October 2019 at nationwide restaurants
Full revamp fro the first time in 3 years!
- Same price but stronger and even tastier! -
New Premium Roast Coffee (hot)
Available from Tuesday, October 15
November - Recognized for its family-friendly restaurant design and approach towards Happy Meal® Set -
McDonald’s Japan receives the Mothers Selection Award 2019
December Received a special award from the Green Logistics Partnership Conference in 2019.
First time for McDonald’s Japan in recognition of its “Enhanced Measures in Restaurant Delivery.”
Endorsement of the “Wood Change Network” promoted by the Forestry Agency with the aim to realize a sustainable society.
The Gojo Katsura restaurant in Kyoto with generous use of local timber, opens today.
2020 January Three actions to deliver more a pleasant restaurant experience to meet diversified needs.
“Experience of The Future”, a next generation service by McDonald’s.
Expands introduction of this service to all 47 prefectures.
February Further enhancement of “Yoru-Mac®”!
For the first time in comapny’s history, McDonald’s launches a limited time offer of three types of Gohan Burgers served with rice patties and popular menu items in between; “Gohan Teriyaki”, “Gohan Bacon Lettuce”, and “Gohan Chicken Fillet®”, available from Wednesday, February 5.
April “A satisfying experience of Japanese flavor and thick meat patty, even for adults”
A brand new launch of “Samurai Mac”!
“Seared Shoyu Style Triple Thick Beef”
“Seared Shoyu Style Bacon Tomato Thick Beef”
Limited time offer from Wednesday, April 8
June Popular beef burgers from McDonald’s around the World!
“Mighty Beef Original” from Canada and “Smoky Barbecue” from the UK.
Japan proudly represents “Karubi Mac!” Available for limited time starting Wednesday, June 24
“Bacon Lovers” from Australia appears in the 2nd round!
August Online workshop on sustainable labeling with students to think and act about sustainability.
Holding of “JSL Youth Club with McDonald’s”
October Full-scale introduction of electric motorbikes for McDonald’s Delivery Service.
More focus on safety and security.
Launch of “Digital Food Safety” with the use of tablet.
Introduced in stages at nationwide restaurants from October.
2021 January McDonald's Japan’s 50th Anniversary! Launch of “BIG SMILE” project.
A limited time offer of Big Mac Set at a special price of 550 yen from Wednesday, January 6
The offer also includes “Grand Big Mac” and “Giga Big Mac” for a limited time as well as the introduction of the “Flip and Smile New Year's Otoshidama (gift)” campaign!
50th anniversary website launched on Thursday, January 28
Joint “Happy Meal Book” approach with children, first time to implement in the company’s history.
“Get everyone! How do you solve this?” project that encourage children to think outside the box and cultivate thinking ability.
Starts on January 26.
March Tamotsu Hiiro assumes the office of Representative Director, President and CEO
April Regular menu lineups newly welcomes “Samurai Mac” served with thick meat patty, due to popular demand.
“Seared soy sauce style double thick beef” and “Seared soy sauce style bacon tomato thick beef”.
Starting Wednesday, April 7.
May - So full of Teriyaki! Sumimasen! -
Simultaneous offer of 5 types of Terriyaki burgers!
A come back of “Oyako Teriyaki” including the all-new “Red Hot Teriyaki” and “Black Pepper Teriyaki.”
In addition, the offer includes “Shaka Shaka Potato® Teriyaki McBurger Flavor” and “Teriyaki Muffin” available during breakfast hours.
Limited time offer Wednesday, May 26.
June and July “BIG SMILE” Project
Limited time offer of “Juicy Chicken Red Pepper”, “Texas Burger 2021”, and “Torichi (Triple Cheeseburger)” starting Wednesday, June 23.
Win the 50th anniversary limited edition “BIG SMILE BAG”!
Created a set to relive the Ginza restaurant, the first in Japan!
“The reason I am here”, McDonald’s Japan’s new television commercial for families.
Begins airing on July 20 (Hamburger Day).
September Thanks to everyone's support, Tsukimi Burger celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Inspired by the autumn custom of "otsukimi," or moon-viewing, the product has been established as a popular autumn tradition since its birth in 1991.
A new system that allows flexible work styles helps to promote the success of diverse talents.
The company introduces the local salaried employee system, which contributes to the promotion of crew people to permanent employees.
December The imports of fries from North America are delayed by the disruption to the global logistics network exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, along with the impact of flooding and bad weather.
Sales of McFries® are limited to small size at all restaurants.
(Temporary measures from Fri., Dec. 24 to Thu., Dec. 30, 2021, and from Sun., Jan. 9 to Sun., Feb. 6, 2022.)
2022 January Happy Meal toys continue to evolve further!
Dr. Yoshiko Sawai, an expert in supporting the development of young children, supervises the Happy Meal®️ toys, that are designed to bring into children's play the joy of thinking.
March Sustainability Report 2021 is published to summarize the approach and efforts by McDonald's Japan toward a sustainable society.
April Samurai Mac is a huge success!
One year after joining regular menu items, the cumulative total of the two Samurai products sold exceeds 80 million!
May "We cherish the idea of people being true to themselves as they do their work."
An original TV drama set in McDonald's, called "Samurai ga Mac de ten-in ni natta ken (about a samurai who becomes a crew member at a McDonald's restaurant)," goes on air.
July McCafé by Barista®, where full-time baristas serve "authentic café-style coffee," celebrates the 10th anniversary of its first opening in Japan.
The first one opened on Mon., Jul. 23, 2012 inside the Harajuku Omotesando restaurant.
September Ordering and paying with the official app -- the use of drive-thru has never been easier!
Drive-Thru Mobile Ordering is launched at restaurants nationwide.
October The introduction of paper straws and wooden spoons, forks, knives and stirrers are launched in stages from Fri., Oct. 7 at restaurants nationwide.
With the excitement for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ building up, three new burgers inspired by past & current tournaments are offered for a limited time from Wed., Oct. 26!
Koku-Uma Karubi Mac -- Excitement in Asia! (2002)
Wild Beef Burger Onion rings & Cheese -- Shock in Brazil! (2014)
Kebab-Style Chicken Burger -- Long-awaited Qatar! (2022)
November McDonald's charity activities pick up stream on Sun., November 6.
Blue Mac Day (McHappy Day) is celebrated at McDonald's restaurants nationwide.
December McDelivery Service function, McDonald's own delivery service, is integrated into the McD official app.
For the first time, System-wide sales exceed 700 billion yen.