Having achieved gains in both sales and profit in the first half of fiscal 2013, the Fast Retailing Group is now looking to boost sales for the full business year above ¥1 trillion for the first time ever, and to boost operating income beyond its previous record high set three years ago. The expansion of UNIQLO operations outside of Japan and our low-priced g.u. casualwear brand in Japan have proved the key drivers of the Group's recent strong performance. But sparks of recovery in the Japanese consumer environment this spring also bode well for UNIQLO Japan going forward.
UNIQLO's brand visibility has increased dramatically in global markets, especially in China, Taiwan, South Korea and other parts of Asia. In a recent independent branding survey, UNIQLO was selected as the Number One Retail Brand in Asia. In addition, consumers in the United States and Europe now really appreciate our superior garment ranges, such as highly-functional HEATTECH winter innerwear, Ultra Light Down and Ultra Skinny Jeans.
Right now, we are striving to transform UNIQLO into a truly global brand. This involves a wide set of goals, ranging from our aim to become the overwhelming number one brand in Asia, to open global flagship and global hotspot stores in major cities throughout the world, to develop a chain of retail stores in European markets and the United States, and, finally, to develop a true and effective global marketing framework.
In order to become the standout number one brand in Asia, we need to open new stores even faster in markets from China through to India where the middle-income population is expected to experience rapid growth in the coming years. We continue to pursue an aggressive expansion strategy in Asia, with the first UNIQLO store in the Philippines opening its doors in summer 2012. Looking ahead, our first store in Indonesia is scheduled to open in summer 2013 in Jakarta and our first UNIQLO store in Australia in 2014 in Melbourne.
In the United States, we will focus on opening new UNIQLO stores in established shopping malls as we seek to build dominant retail chains of between 20 and 30 stores in and around the cities of New York on the East Coast and San Francisco on the West Coast. In Europe, we are looking to develop retail chains centered on London, Paris and Moscow, and also to open first flagship stores in the major European cities of Berlin, Milan and Barcelona.
Building a vibrant and effective global marketing system is another vital element of our strategy to nurture UNIQLO as a global brand. World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic features in TV commercials promoting the very great advantages of UNIQLO's highly-functional AIRism innerwear with authority to people around the world. Mr. Djokovic also serves as a UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador, and we are working together on the Clothes for Smiles project to help children around the world achieve their dreams and enjoy a brighter future. Adam Scott, professional golfer and winner of the 2013 Masters Tournament, also serves as a UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador. TV commercials featuring Mr. Scott wearing UNIQLO polo shirts should prove very effective in extending the reach of UNIQLO products and the UNIQLO brand worldwide.
I firmly believe that corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are as important, and ultimately more compelling, than our core business activities. My heartfelt aim is to become a global company that earns and deserves eternal support from customers who purchase our clothes as an active display of support for our corporate spirit. We will never tire in the quest of our corporate mission: Changing clothes. Changing conventional wisdom. Change the world