Notes
trillion 一兆;
retail industry 小売業;
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Japan’s first convenience store opened in 1969 in Toyonaka, Osaka. Today, the market is dominated by Seven-Eleven Japan Co., FamilyMart Co., and Lawson, Inc., which together control about 90% of the sector. Convenience stores in Japan are self-service and range in size from 30 to 250 square meters. As of 2022, there were 56,232 convenience stores in Japan, generating sales of nearly ¥12.2 trillion. The shift from traditional department stores to convenience stores and shopping malls began after the early 1990s economic downturn. Recently, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce has become increasingly prominent in Japan’s retail industry.
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