Tokyo, May 15 (Xinhua-ANI): Leading Japanese convenience store chain Lawson Inc. aimed to expand the number of stores in China and extend its business to other Asian countries, especially the Southeast ones, the president of the company said Tuesday.

Takeshi Niinami, president and chief executive officer of the chain store giant, told a press conference in Tokyo that the company planned to open 10,000 convenience stores in China by 2020.

The company has more than 360 stores in Shanghai, Chongqing and Dalian, three major cities in China as of April. The company had announced earlier that it would build 300 new stores in southwest Chongqing municipality alone over the next three years.

Niinami said at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan that Lawson is arranging to open stores in Beijing within the current fiscal year ending next March.

Considering China as a focus of its expansion, the company will also export its Japanese convenience store model to countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and India.

The company owns nearly 10,000 stores across Japan. Faced with fierce competition from another giant 7-11, Niinami believed that convenience store business is entering its second growth period by targeting female and senior consumers. The first phase was focused on male consumers aged between 20 and 40. (Xinhua-ANI)