Hello r/Japan, Dave from the audience engagement team at Nikkei Asia.
Here’s a free portion of the above story to help get a discussion going
— — —
TOKYO — Japanese conveyor belt sushi chains are setting ambitious overseas expansion targets, as they seek to move outside their home market where growth prospects are limited by a declining population.
Kura Sushi, one of the biggest chains, has set a goal of more than doubling the number of its overseas outlets to over 400 by 2030.
Food & Life (F&LC), which operates Sushiro conveyor belt sushi restaurants, is the largest operator in Japan. It wants its international business to exceed 310 to 320 restaurants in the year ending September 2026, continuing its expansion after surpassing 200 such outlets in February.
Yokohama-based Kappa Create, which owns the Kappa Sushi chain, announced a decision last October to “make a full-scale entry into the rapidly growing overseas conveyor belt sushi business,” by reacquiring shares in its South Korean operating company and, in April, setting up a subsidiary in Indonesia.
The conveyor belt sushi market in Japan made 831.8 billion yen ($5.65 billion) in sales in 2025, an increase of 6.2% from the previous year, according to research company Fuji Keizai. But it expects sales growth to slow to 1% or less toward the end of the decade.
The number of conveyor belt sushi restaurants increased by 1.2% to 4,270 in 2024, according to Fuji Keizai. But it forecasts the annual growth in the number of outlets to remain below 1% after 2025.
Do Japanese sushi chains adapt when they open in other countries? Based on what I see posted on /r/sushi, they don’t seem to offer what most Americans want.
Bring on the sushi !!
Doutor please expand to Canada. I want a Milano sandwich.
Doesn’t even matter the quality takes a nosedive once it enters places like America
The fact we don’t have a Kura or Sushiro in Vancouver is a crime.
I ate 14 plates here!!
Kura4lyfe
Represent ✊🏻
They offer pretty decent quality for a sorta fast food sushi place. I can see the appeal.
They just opened a Kura here in Boulder, CO. It’s so much more expensive that the ones in Japan.
10 comments
Hello r/Japan, Dave from the audience engagement team at Nikkei Asia.
Here’s a free portion of the above story to help get a discussion going
— — —
TOKYO — Japanese conveyor belt sushi chains are setting ambitious overseas expansion targets, as they seek to move outside their home market where growth prospects are limited by a declining population.
Kura Sushi, one of the biggest chains, has set a goal of more than doubling the number of its overseas outlets to over 400 by 2030.
Food & Life (F&LC), which operates Sushiro conveyor belt sushi restaurants, is the largest operator in Japan. It wants its international business to exceed 310 to 320 restaurants in the year ending September 2026, continuing its expansion after surpassing 200 such outlets in February.
Yokohama-based Kappa Create, which owns the Kappa Sushi chain, announced a decision last October to “make a full-scale entry into the rapidly growing overseas conveyor belt sushi business,” by reacquiring shares in its South Korean operating company and, in April, setting up a subsidiary in Indonesia.
Companies see opportunities in markets where the relatively low prices of conveyor belt sushi appeal to [value-conscious consumers](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/food-beverage/sushi-chain-sushiro-rolls-into-beijing-with-private-rooms-sashimi-platters). At the same time, they [want to diversify](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/food-beverage/japan-s-sushi-chains-want-bigger-bite-of-overseas-markets) away from their domestic market where growth prospects are limited by demographic trends.
The conveyor belt sushi market in Japan made 831.8 billion yen ($5.65 billion) in sales in 2025, an increase of 6.2% from the previous year, according to research company Fuji Keizai. But it expects sales growth to slow to 1% or less toward the end of the decade.
The number of conveyor belt sushi restaurants increased by 1.2% to 4,270 in 2024, according to Fuji Keizai. But it forecasts the annual growth in the number of outlets to remain below 1% after 2025.
Do Japanese sushi chains adapt when they open in other countries? Based on what I see posted on /r/sushi, they don’t seem to offer what most Americans want.
Bring on the sushi !!
Doutor please expand to Canada. I want a Milano sandwich.
Doesn’t even matter the quality takes a nosedive once it enters places like America
The fact we don’t have a Kura or Sushiro in Vancouver is a crime.
I ate 14 plates here!!
Kura4lyfe
Represent ✊🏻
They offer pretty decent quality for a sorta fast food sushi place. I can see the appeal.
They just opened a Kura here in Boulder, CO. It’s so much more expensive that the ones in Japan.
I’ll still go, but I’ll complain about it.