We contribute to the health and happiness of people around the world through pursuit of excellence in life science in general and our research and experience in microorganisms in particular.

Minoru Shirota, M.D., Ph.D. began his medical studies in 1921 at Kyoto Imperial University (now Kyoto University). At the time, Japan had yet to achieve economic prosperity, and unsanitary conditions caused large numbers of children to die of infectious diseases.

Disturbed by that reality, Dr. Shirota, while still a medical student, set his sights on the field of preventive medicine, which aims to help people avoid sickness rather than treating them after they get sick, and started down the path of microorganism research.

In his research, Dr. Shirota discovered that lactic acid bacteria were effective in suppressing harmful bacteria within the intestines.

This discovery led him to develop a lactic acid bacterium that became known as Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota*.

Dr. Shirota, together with supporters, then developed an inexpensive, tasteful beverage, so that as many people as possible could benefit from Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota, which reaches the intestines alive and promotes intestinal health.
That is how, in 1935, the fermented milk drink Yakult was born.

The desire to contribute to the health and happiness of people around the world.
Minoru Shirota’s passion, ideas, and insatiable curiosity continue to be passed down today.

* Classified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota as of March 2020.

Shirota-ism―The Origins of Yakult

At Yakult, the ideas of our founder Minoru Shirota and Shirota-ism are what form the very foundation for all our operations even to this day.