Beyond Meat has shelved plans to enter Japan, according to a Japan-based investor, focusing more on the U.S. market where it recently bolstered funding to fuel an expansion and beat out emerging faux-meat rivals. Japanese trading house Mitsui, which bought a small stake in Beyond Meat in 2016, said it previously planned to partner with the U.S. company to sell plant-based meat alternatives in Japan, but there was no longer such a project. A Beyond Meat spokeswoman said she could not immediately comment, while a Mitsui spokeswoman declined to give a reason for the change, adding that future expansion in Japan was still possible. El Segundo, California-based Beyond Meat sells pea-based burgers and sausages at restaurants and in supermarkets, and its shares have surged around 550% since their May IPO on expectations for growing demand for meat alternatives. It has also followed on with a secondary offering, which closed earlier this week.