TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp. on Saturday opened its first permanent store in Japan, aiming to boost sales by offering customers the chance to interact directly with its high-end phones and other electronic appliances.

The store, located in a shopping mall operated by Aeon Retail Co. in Saitama near Tokyo, comes as Xiaomi aims to launch a total of five to ten stores in Japan by the end of this year.

Over 100 people queued up before the store opened at Aeon Mall Urawamisono, where Xiaomi sells more than 160 different items, including smartphones, TVs, vacuum cleaners and cooking appliances. The maker operates around 15,000 stores worldwide.

Masaki Nishimura, a 32-year-old company employee who came to buy a smartphone, said, "I have used Xiaomi's smartphone. I'm happy that I can buy one after trying out features such as the camera."

At a ceremony marking the opening, Li Gangjian, general manager for operations in the East Asia division, said Xiaomi plans to expand its number of stores across Japan to allow customers to experience how fun its technology is.