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McDonald’s Japan is famous for listing “free smiles” on its menu, and soon it’ll be offering free Internet access too.

For a couple of years now, McDonald’s Japan has been looking with envy at Starbucks’ and other coffee houses’ ability to draw in customers throughout the day to sip and snack even outside of peak dining hours. In response, the burger chain has remodeled many of its locations for greater style and comfort, and launched its own McCafe menu of upscale (for a fast food joint) beverages and desserts.

Now, McDonald’s branches in Japan are adding something else that’s a big part of Starbucks’ attraction: free Wi-Fi.

McDonald’s has announced that it will be adding complimentary wireless Internet access to select restaurants, with the service scheduled to be available in some 1,500 branches across all 47 Japanese prefectures by the end of July. Customers can log in using their email, Facebook, or Twitter account, and initially guidance will be offered in both Japanese and English, with Chinese, Korean, and one as-yet-unannounced language (though the smart bet would be Thai) set to be added in the future.

The first Japanese McDonald’s locations will be getting their free Wi-Fi on June 20, so if you’re looking for a place to rest your feet and soak up the AC this summer, now you have one that’ll let you keep up with all of the important online happenings too.

Why not take advantage of that free Wi-Fi by following Casey on Twitter?

Source: Fashion Press via Jin
Top image: McDonald’s Japan