Lotte Duty Free on Thursday announced that it has won the Japanese state license to operate a duty-free store in the affluent area of Ginza in Tokyo. Lotte would become the first company ever to run an urban duty-free store in downtown Tokyo, the company said.

The 4,396-square-meter store will open in late March, targeting more than 20 million people, mainly Chinese tourists, visiting the luxurious shopping district.

“We believe that this store will enhance our global brand image,” a Lotte spokesman said.

Lotte is planning to open two more stores in Tokyo and Osaka in 2017, followed by three more after 2020.

Lotte Duty Free is already running stores in Jakarta, Guam and inside Kansai Airport outside Osaka, Japan and will open another in the city center of Bangkok later this year.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)