Huons Global said that the board of directors has approved the establishment of the company's branch in Japan, Huons Japan Co., Ltd.

The new subsidiary, located in Osaka, will be responsible for expanding exports to Japan and locally distributing and selling Huons Group's healthcare portfolio, including pharmaceuticals, beauty drugs, medical devices, health functional foods, and cosmetics, the company said.

The subsidiary also plans to serve as a bridgehead between Huons Global and Japanese pharmaceutical companies by promoting joint R&D, introducing advanced drug technology, and licensing drugs.

Huons Global appointed Kamada Keiji as the first CEO of Huons Japan.

Keiji, who has worked in the Japanese pharmaceutical and healthcare industry for 38 years, served as the CEO of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Korea and was in charge of special operations and M&A in the business planning division for Nipro, a Japanese-based medical device company, the company said.

Huons Global said Keiji would be best for the job as he has experience in all aspects of work, from drug production to consignment manufacturing and R&D, production system construction, and process improvement.

"In Japan, interest in and demand for healthcare products, such as health functional foods and medical devices, are high," a Huons Global official said. "Also, as Japan is seeing its population aging and a shortage of generic drugs, the company expects that the demand for overseas pharmaceuticals will increase continuously."

The official added that Huons Global had established a Japanese subsidiary to enhance the overseas market penetration of the pharmaceutical business, the root of the Huons Group, and expand the target market of the company's future strategic businesses, such as functional health food and medical devices.