I'm not sure about this, but it seems that the Japanese Dean and DeLuca is just a Japanese company owning and operating the brand under license or joint venture. This is how a lot of foreign brands enter Japan (for example, Taco Bell and Baskin Robbins), and why many remain even when the original company more or less goes under (for example, Mister Donut). I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the same.