Taco Bell Corp., a major U.S. fast food chain, will reopen restaurants in Japan, joining forces with Asrapport Dining Co., a Japanese operator of restaurant franchises, the Japanese company announced Thursday.
The first outlet is expected to open in central Tokyo by fall this year, according to Asrapport. Taco Bell, known for Mexican-inspired foods such as tacos and burritos, had entered the Japanese market in the 1980s but later pulled out of the country, except for U.S. military base locations.
Taco Bell currently operates more than 6,000 restaurants worldwide and has a plan to add 1,300 restaurants outside the United States by 2023. Asrapport runs more than 400 "izakaya" pubs and barbecue restaurants in Japan.