We recognize that in order for the Yakult Group to continue growing sustainably, we need to not only further promote product development through the pursuit of excellence in life science but also create services that provide new value. While bearing in mind the views of our stakeholders, we will further develop our organizations and create frameworks to generate innovations that will help resolve social issues and bring about our evolution toward a healthcare company.
Yakult’s business was launched in the early 20th century when founder Minoru Shirota, distressed by the number of children who lost their lives to infectious diseases, decided to undertake microorganism research and pursue preventive medicine to prevent diseases rather than treating them after they occur. He focused his research thereafter on lactic acid bacteria, resulting in the creation of the fermented milk drink Yakult. In an era when therapeutic medicine was the norm, providing new value from the new perspective of preventive medicine was truly innovative.
This innovation was embraced not just in Japan but has continued to spread throughout the world, and today Yakult’s dairy products are enjoyed in 40 countries and regions, including Japan. We are delighted and encouraged to be able to offer the value of Yakult to people around the world through our innovative products and services.
We believe that one of our missions is to continue to create product value that is in demand among our customers while always taking social issues into consideration, and view this as an important way to contribute to the health of people around the world.
The “value” that people look for is always changing with the times. Just when interest began to grow in research on the gut-brain axis, or how the brain and intestines influence each other, we had learned from our basic research that high concentrations of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota*1 had an impact on the nervous system. Additional research led to the market launch of Yakult 1000 in 2019 and Y1000 in 2021. These drinks had functions that relieved stress and improved sleep quality under conditions of temporary mental stress. They provide value that was unavailable in conventional products by addressing stress- and sleep-related health problems in contemporary society.
Public support for these products exceeded our expectations. We received many positive comments from the large number of people who saw new value in these products. This feedback showed again that the benefits of our innovation are contributing to the health of people suffering from newly emerging problems of our age.
One of the qualitative goals of Yakult Group Global Vision 2030, formulated in fiscal 2021, is to offer customers new value that matches their needs.
We will continue to utilize our research findings cultivated over the years on lactic acid bacteria and other beneficial microorganisms, promote microbiome research, and pursue new possibilities and innovation through collaboration with outside resources, while providing new value that leads to solutions of the mounting health and social issues throughout the world.
We thus aim to “evolve into a healthcare company that continues contributing to the health of people around the world,” as stated in our vision.
Fumiyasu Ishikawa
Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer
Divisional General Manager of Research & Development Division
Yakult’s pharmaceutical research began in 1978 when we discovered that our proprietary Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota had anticancer properties via an immunostimulatory effect. This led to the start of development research of anti-cancer agents. We have since developed a number of chemotherapeutic agents widely used in Japan and overseas, such as plant-based Campto infection (irinotecan hydrochloride) and Elplat (oxaliplatin).
Nothing could be more rewarding than to be able to apply the results of our intestinal bacteria research to the treatment of diseases for which there are no simple cures. We will continue to research and develop high value-added pharmaceuticals that utilize the microbiome. We will also seek the successful realization of a Medical BiomeⓇ*2 business to manufacture and market products that help people maintain good health and facilitate medical treatment. This will enable us to contribute to people’s health in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors as well.
*1 Reclassified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota in April 2020.
*2 A registered trademark in Japan coined from “medical” and “microbiome.”
Masanori Ito
Director and Managing Executive Officer
Divisional General Manager of Pharmaceutical Business Division
Mental healthcare is nowadays considered important in our stressful modern society. In light of this, studies have shown that intestinal bacteria are deeply involved in the gut-brain axis, the interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and brain (microbiota-gut-brain axis). We further advanced our research on Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota’s action to improve the intestinal environment and went on to verify its functionality via the gut-brain axis. In human studies, we were able to demonstrate the effect of the continuous ingestion of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in relieving stress and improving sleep quality. We applied these research findings in the development of food products with this functionality and marketed as Foods with Function Claims.
The pillar of our activities at the Yakult Central Institute is research into intestinal microbiota and probiotics*1 from the perspective of preventive medicine. We are studying the difference between the intestinal microbiota of people in different countries and determining the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and disease in an effort to contribute to better health. For example, our research confirmed that regular consumption of beverages containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota*2 helps relieve stress and improve sleep quality for people under temporary mental stress. These findings led to the launching of the fermented milk drink Yakult 1000, which contains 100 billion Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota per 100 ml bottle. And in 2021, we launched Y1000 for in-store sales.
*1
Defined by the FAO/WHO in 2002 as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”
*2
Reclassified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota in April 2020
Intestinal flora analysis system
YIF-SCAN®
Collection of microorganisms such as
lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria
Joint research with the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
Consumption of fermented milk drinks containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota was confirmed as relieving depression symptoms and improving the sleep quality of patients suffering from major depressive or bipolar disorders. The results were reported in the journal Microorganisms (published on May 10, 2021).
Joint research with the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology
Habitual intake of dairy products containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain Shirota was confirmed as contributing to the stabilization of intestinal flora in the elderly. The results were reported in the journal Scientific Reports (published on June 17, 2021).