HIGASHI-OSAKA, Japan -- Mitoshi Matsumoto was not expecting to shake up the management of Japan's largest convenience store chain and make national headlines. The 57-year-old widower and 7-Eleven franchisee just wanted five hours of his night back.
But when Matsumoto asked Seven-Eleven Japan for permission to close his store from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., and the retailer demanded that he stay open 24 hours, it set off a chain of events that culminated with the replacement of the company's president earlier this month.
