About Us

Introducing the Founder

Toyoji Naito, the founder

The photo was taken in April 1973 when he received Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (at the age of 83)

Toyoji Naito, the founder (1889 - 1978)

  • He was born in August 15, 1889 at Ito-mura, Nyugun, Fukui Prefecture as the third son (the 6th child) of Kikuji Naito.
  • He started self-study after leaving 2nd grade of Takeo Junior High School without a diploma in April 1903.
  • He worked at a button factory at Ebie, Osaka in the spring of 1905.
  • He worked at Winkel Shokan, a German trading company in Kobe in 1906, while studying at Kobe Palmore Institute at night.
  • He passed a military draft test in November 1909 and became a military medic after joining the Coldstream Guards at Kudan, Tokyo.
  • He was discharged from military service in December 1911 and employed by Tumsong Shokai - a pharmacy managed by a British man in Kobe.
  • Tumsong Shokai was closed due to World War I in 1915. He was employed by Tanabe Motosaburo Store in Tokyo by the introduction of Mr. Gohei Tanabe and was in charge of trading.
  • He developed and marketed Castor Oil - aromatic castor oil after getting an inspiration from a foreign magazine in 1924. After then, he invented and marketed various products one after another such as Chimitsushin (antitussive drug), Eva Créam (hair remover), Salomethyl (Sports medicine), Halivut Liver Oil, etc. until 1933 and made them very popular products in public media.
  • He became a managing director of Tanabe Motosaburo Store Co., Ltd. in 1935. (at the age of 46)
  • He created a vision of R & D of pharmaceutical products and established Sakuragaoka Research Laboratory, while managing Tanabe in 1936.
  • He established Nihon Eisai Co., Ltd. in 1941.
  • He retired from Tanabe Motosaburo Shoten in 1943 (worked for 29 years) and devoted all his efforts to developing Nihon Eisai Co., Ltd.
  • Contraceptive "Sampoon" was approved by the authority in 1949. After then he developed and launched new products such as "Rutin C," "Neophyllin" and "Chocola Series" etc.
  • The name of the company was changed to Eisai Co., Ltd. in 1955.
  • He gave his president's position to Mr. Yuji Naito in 1966 and became a representing chairman.
  • He came down with cerebral thrombosis in 1967.
  • He became the president of the board after establishing the Naito Foundation in 1969.
  • He died in March 20, 1978 at the age of 88.

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