Apple CEO Tim Cook arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday ¡ª his first visit to the country since 2022 ¡ª as the company announced the reopening of its Ginza store on Friday.

¡°There¡¯s nothing like the energy in Tokyo!¡± Cook tweeted along with a photo of himself and members of Japanese boyband Number_i, who received an early preview of the redesigned store.

The Ginza location holds special importance for Apple ¡ª it was the company¡¯s first overseas store, which originally opened in 2003.

¡°This reopening is another incredible milestone on our journey here in Japan, and a symbol of our strong ties to customers and communities across the country,¡± Cook said in a media statement.

In Cook¡¯s last trip to Japan in 2022, he traveled to the semiconductor hub of Kumamoto. During that trip, he announced Apple would invest more than $100 billion in its Japan development over a five-year period. Apple also said it had increased its supply spending in Japan by more than 30% since 2019.

The American tech giant has been on a push to diversify its supply chains, for which it currently remains heavily reliant on China. U.S. President Donald Trump has exerted pressure on Apple to onshore its production, but experts have questioned whether this is possible.

Semiconductors are a critical part of smartphones, and Japan has sought to position itself as a semiconductor hub to rival Taiwan, which leads the market. At present, Japan makes iPhone camera sensors, while Taiwan manufactures iPhone semiconductors.

Japan is a large consumer market for Apple, which experts have attributed in part to an appreciation for product craft and quality.

While Apple is popular, its products have grown increasingly expensive for Japanese consumers due to the weakness of the yen against the dollar, leading to the rapid growth of a secondhand iPhone market.

The iPhone 17 lineup launched in Japan last Friday, drawing queues outside Apple stores. Prices for the lineup, including ¡°Apple¡¯s thinnest iPhone ever,¡± begin at ?159,800, and the models come in a range of colors.

Apple now has 11 stores throughout the country, and its products are also widely available through resellers.