McDonald's Japan soars as diners catch Pokemon toys

TOKYO: It seems the only way you can catch a Pokemon in Japan is to buy a burger at McDonald's.

McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) saw its shares jump as much as 23 percent, the biggest daily gain since its July 2001 listing after it started giving away figurines based on Pokemon characters such as Pikachu with sales of Happy Meals on Friday. Nintendo Co.'s mobile game Pokemon Go, which has sparked a worldwide frenzy, still isn't available in Japan where the cartoon series was first created.

"Investors are flocking to Pokemon-related stocks and McDonald's Japan is one of those benefiting from the boom," said Mitsushige Akino, a Tokyo-based executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management Co. "The boom came at a time when McDonald's business has already started recovering and there's expectation that the Pokemon toy offering will further increase customer traffic to their shops."