Undeterred by protests over the ongoing territorial dispute between China and Japan, Lawson intends to advance into major Chinese cities and their surrounding areas and expand its licensing business within China.

Lawson president Takeshi Niinami said the company will add more stores to its existing 393 stores in China, aiming to reach 10,000 stores by 2020.

In May, Japan-based Lawson established a wholly owned holding company in China called Lawson China which controls business investment, license management, and administrative management functions within China.

Lawson has been eyeing overseas markets to offset the slowdown in its saturated home market. It plans to expand into Burma by the end of the year.

The company’s first China store was opened in Shanghai in 1996.

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