Japan's convenience stores fighting coffee war

Tokyo

JAPAN'S convenience store operators are jostling for eminence in a famously cut-throat industry, and one product has come up trumps for the market's top players - coffee.

Millions and millions of cups of it.

Inspired by a popular 100 yen (S$1.20) blend launched by McDonald's in 2008, Seven-Eleven touched off a boom in convenience store coffee last year, lifting Japan's long-stagnant coffee market and rankling rival businesses.

Late last month, Lawson became the latest convenience store chain to offer 100 y…