The development of new drugs requires extremely advanced technology, and only a few countries in the world are capable of creating new drugs. Among these, Japan is the third largest creator of new drugs in the world after the U.S. and Switzerland. Many new drugs developed in Japan are sold not only in Japan but also in Europe, the U.S., and other countries, and are highly acclaimed around the world. Pharmaceuticals developed in Japan contribute to the health and medical care of people around the world.
Source: Pharmaceutical Industry Policy Institute Industry Report No. 5 (December 2014)
According to the "Pharmaceutical Industry Vision 2013 Data Edition" published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, four drugs originating from Japan are ranked among the top 30 drugs in terms of global sales. In addition, the average of the five largest pharmaceutical companies shows that about half of their sales come from overseas markets, and the overseas sales of the 26 member companies of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) are increasing every year.
Lowerright graph Source: Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Financial reports of each of the 26 companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Japanese GAAP)
This is an asset that Japan can boast to the world. It is the skills and knowledge of our people, which opens up endless possibilities. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the top manufacturing industries in Japan in terms of the number of researchers with doctoral degrees.
The pharmaceutical industry contributes to the development of science and technology because it is a source of diverse human resources from Japan and abroad, and a place where many researchers grow and are produced.
In addition to its contribution through pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical industry also contributes to the stability of the social infrastructure through its stable tax-bearing capacity. In recent years, the industry has consistently maintained a high level of tax payments, and in FY2011, it was the top taxpayer within major manufacturing industries such as automobiles, electricity, information and telecommunications, and iron and steel.
In the "Revitalization Strategy for Japan" decided by the Japanese government, Japan is expected to be a growth industry that drives the domestic economy.
