Koa Shoji: The Best Partner for Generics in Japan

Japanese generic pharmaceutical company prides itself on its longstanding motto: ‘Stable Supply of Safe and Reliable Products at Reasonable Prices.’

The company was founded back in 1991 and started to exhibit at CPHI Worldwide in 1996 with a mission to source high-quality API manufacturers.

“Koa Shoji established its business from thorough patent research and detailed market research and assists qualified and reliable API manufacturers to enter the Japanese market by providing information about local pharmaceutical laws and regulations,” says Ritsuko Ohtsuka, Koa Shoji Co. Ltd President and Representative Director.

Over the years since its beginning, Koa Shoji has built up an unparalleled track record of importing APIs which satisfy strict Japanese quality standards and selling them to domestic pharmaceutical companies.

It has forged business relationships with more than 100 Japanese pharmaceutical companies, and now boasts a best-in-class domestic trading base and range of products.

The company can support manufacturers and customers from the development stage to post-launch and its post-sales activity now includes updating customers’ requests and providing crucial and up-to-date Japanese market information to its suppliers.

“We also help overseas manufacturers by supplying them with related technology and information, quality tests, and a strict quality assurance system after sale,” says Ms Ohtsuka.

“Having a trading company and a manufacturer in the same group is a unique business model; this ‘one stop service’ is attractive to customers in Japan,” she adds.

Although the company is primarily a pharmaceutical importer, it also owns fully equipped laboratories and a research center.

“A unique characteristic of our business is that we have a Pharmaceutical Analysis Center and SI Center,” says Ms Ohtsuka. “We research on how to technically develop products which meet Japanese standards, in some cases in cooperation with a University research institute.”

In terms of future plans, Ms Ohtsuka says Koa Shoji intends to redefine its business model so that it can also sell finished dosage products with Japanese-specific packaging and also provide a service where it connects foreign manufacturers’ out-licensed technologies to the Japanese pharma market.

Koa Shoji company structure

In 2015, Koa Shoji Holdings was established, and it is now listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is the holding company of four separate corporations.

Koa Shoji

The core company within the group, which focuses on the import and sale of generic APIs

Koa Isei

A long-established finished dosage manufacturer and CDMO, which mainly develops and produces injectables.

Koa Biotech Bay

Handling pharmaceutical packaging operations

Koa Pharmaceutical

The sale of OTC drugs.