Starbucks to launch first Japan signing store

Starbucks is set to open its first Tokyo signing store in early summer 2020. 

Located at Kunitachi City, the store will have several hearing-impaired employees among its staff, offering food, beverages, and services to customers in Japanese sign language.

The coffee company said the Kunitachi area has a long history as part of the deaf and hearing-impaired community, with the new store being located near a school for the deaf. 

The new store will become the brand's fifth signing store globally. Three of them are currently located in the Asian cities of Guangzhou, Penang and Kuala Lumpur (which was the first Starbucks signing store since 2016), with the fourth located in the U.S capital, Washington DC.

Since 2018, Starbucks Japan has taken what it has described as a “no filter” approach to diversity and inclusion, where it aims to foster a culture rooted in human connection that embraces each individual. The new opening is hoped to further showcase the company's ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and diversity.

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