Responsibility for Society and Community

Our Responsibilities Toward Society and Community

Under the corporate philosophy of Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide, the Otsuka group aims to play a role in contributing to the well-being of society.
Through our business operations, we create and deliver value to help address a wide range of health-related social issues.

We leverage our group’s resources and expertise to promote social contribution initiatives that help build a sustainable future and foster trust with society.
In carrying out these initiatives, we prioritize 1. Health Maintenance and Promotion, 2. Protection of our Natural Environment, 3. Fostering the next generation , and 4. Advancement of Culture and the Arts.
These initiatives are positioned as activities that do not pursue direct and/or short-term profits.

Moreover, we respect each employee’s proactive engagement in social contribution activities as responsible members of society and encourage voluntary participation. We will enhance systems that support employee participation and foster a corporate culture that encourages such involvement.

With a strong sense of responsibility and pride as a company that coexists with local communities and the natural environment, we are committed to advancing social contribution initiatives.

The Otsuka group companies carry out a wide range of activities. Please refer to each company’s website for further details.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Realizing Healthy Lifestyles / Health and Disease Awareness Activities
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory Social and Community Contributions
Taiho Pharmaceutical Social and Community Engagement Activities
Otsuka Foods Contribution to Communities

Examples of Activities

  • SATU HATI (One Heart) in Indonesia
    PT Amerta Indah Otsuka (AIO) has implemented a social action program for over 15 years in Indonesia based on the three pillars: education, the environment, and health.

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    POCARI SWEAT manufacturer and distributor P.T. Amerta Indah Otsuka (AIO) developed a social action program called SATU HATI after providing support to areas affected by the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake to give back to the local community in Indonesia. The scope of the activities has been increased every year, and focus is on now the three pillars: education, the environment, and health.
    In 2020, the Otsuka Eco Village initiative was launched as part of the SATU HATI to promote waste disposal and resource recycling. With the aim of encouraging building a community that can manage waste independently together with local residents, AIO supports initial awareness raising as well as building the infrastructure in several ways, including donating facilities for a recycling bank.

    Details here(Japanese version only)

  • OTSUKA Health Comic Library
    Since its launch in 1989, Otsuka Holdings has annually donated booklets on the human body and health to schools and public libraries across Japan, as well as to Japanese schools overseas and other institution.

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    Otsuka Holdings launched the OTSUKA Health Comic Library in 1989 with the aim of fostering children’s interest in and understanding of how their bodies work and overall health. Produced under the supervision of the Japan Medical Association and the Japan Society of School Health, and endorsed by the Japan Pediatric Association, one volume is published each year with a different theme.
    The books are donated free of charge to approximately 23,000 locations, including all elementary schools throughout Japan, special support schools, Japanese schools overseas, and national and public libraries. In addition to the printed editions, electronic versions of the books are also available free of charge on the website. To support their use in educational settings, Otsuka has created and published on the website a curriculum alignment table that allows users to search for relevant comics by school grade and subject based on the national curriculum guidelines. The OTSUKA Health Comic Library is used not only as reading material for children, but also as teaching resources for food and nutrition education, health and physical education, and science classes.

    Details here

  • Contributing to Local Communities through Sports
    In addition to supporting soccer teams, we are involved in corporate sports through the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Track and Field Club.


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    Tokushima Vortis is a J.League soccer team formed in 2004 as a way of contributing to the vitalization of the local community.
    The team has its origins as the Otsuka Pharmaceutical corporate soccer team initially formed in 1955. After changing its name to Tokushima Vortis, the team was promoted to the J.League in 2005. Since 2005, the Otsuka group continues to sponsor the team and offer support by advising players on health and nutrition and by assisting with events at the team's home stadium.
    Beyond playing soccer, Tokushima Vortis also works to solve issues affecting Tokushima Prefecture. Activities include soccer workshops for diverse age groups, from children to seniors. Furthermore, the team has been working with Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Mima City on a new project, the Vortis Conditioning Program, the first example of a social impact bond (SIB)* in the healthcare field involving a J.League team. Through these activities, players and coaches from Tokushima Vortis are helping local residents to maintain and improve their health as well encouraging them to take a greater interest in sport.

    *Social impact bonds are outcome-based programs where private-sector funds are used for initiatives that address social issues. Local governments then later reimburse or subsidize the costs according to the program's level of success.

    Established in 1990, the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Track and Field Club sends athletes to represent Japan at international championships. In addition to their participation in training sessions, club members contribute to the local community by holding track and field workshops. Furthermore, since 2016, with the help of the Tokushima Track and Field Association, the club has held the Tokushima Athlete Meeting, which aims to encourage and support junior athletes in Tokushima Prefecture.

    These are just a few examples of the wide range of sports-related projects that the Otsuka group continues to support as part of its contribution to the development of local communities.

  • Disaster Relief
    We deliver Otsuka products and other items in a disaster.

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    The Otsuka group provides support by delivering Otsuka products and making donations following a disaster. As an example, when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, the Otsuka group mobilized local offices to provide emergency relief supplies, such as beverages, water, and food. Otsuka group employees from across Japan took turns assisting relief efforts from a base in Sendai City, supplying oral rehydration solutions to evacuation centers to address dehydration among evacuees and leveraging Otsuka's assets for relief efforts. The Otsuka group also provided relief supplies in response to requests from government agencies and industry associations, and Otsuka Holdings made a large donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society on behalf of the 39,000 employees of the Otsuka group following calls for assistance from overseas group employees.

  • Together with the Local Communities in Tokushima
    As a company that originated in Tokushima, we continue to implement initiatives deeply rooted in the local communities.

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    The Traditional Culture of the Awa Odori
    As a company with its origins in Tokushima, we are keen to promote traditional Tokushima culture, and the most well-known aspect of Tokushima culture has to be the Awa Odori. Boasting 400 years of history, the Awa Odori is the most famous of many dance festivals held across Japan. At Awa Odori events, each team is known as a “ren,” and every year, four rens from the Otsuka group join the festival. The first is the Otsuka ren, which consists of more than one hundred workers from Otsuka Pharmaceutical. The second is the Otsuka Uzumaki ren, which inherited its name from the oldest ren from Naruto City, and consists of members from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory. The third is the Tiovita ren, from Taiho Pharmaceutical, which has a very fun and friendly spirit. Finally, taking its name from the Japanese word for ‘energetic,’ the Otsuka Hatsuratsu ren, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2016, comprises members from Otsuka Chemical, Otsuka Warehouse, and Otsuka Foods.

    As well as dancing, members of the ren also play musical instruments, such as shamisen, gongs, drums, and flutes. Learning how to play these instruments, as well as coming up with new dance formations, creates new challenges for our staff—everyone takes it seriously and gives their best performance so that both participants and onlookers have a memorable experience.

    An Annual Concert Held for Around 30 Years
    Exciting Summer in WAJIKI
    Each year during the Awa Odori season, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, with the help of local authorities, holds Exciting Summer in WAJIKI, a free outdoor concert on the premises of the Tokushima Wajiki factory. The event started in 1990, the year following the founding of the town of Wajiki (which in 2005 became incorporated into the new town of Naka), with the hope that with the help of young people from local authorities, industries, and associations, we could transform the rural community into a place where young people could come together. In 2019, around 3,500 people from all over Japan attended the concert. In addition, the Oronamin C Drink Presents Awa Odori Sound Festival, another free concert, has been held every year in Tokushima City since 1990 on the eve of the Awa Odori festival. The lineup boasts a large variety of artists and genres, and people of all ages can enjoy a delightful summer night of music.

  • Established Otsuka Museum of Art
    The Otsuka Museum of Art was founded in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, the birthplace of Otsuka, to commemorate our 75th anniversary.

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    To commemorate the 75th anniversary of our founding, we opened The Otsuka Museum of Art in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, the birthplace of the Otsuka group of companies. This museum is one of the largest permanent exhibition spaces in Japan,* and houses over 1,000 ceramic reproductions of major works of Western art. Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics used special techniques to make actual-size ceramic reproductions of various works of art, from ancient wall paintings to modern paintings, originally exhibited in around 190 art museums in 26 countries. It is typical for original artworks to become discolored or to deteriorate due to environmental pollution, or sometimes even to suffer more extensive damage from disasters such as earthquakes or fires, but these ceramic reproductions should maintain their original color and shape for more than 2,000 years.

    This unique approach of creating ceramic reproductions of masterpieces has incorporated many creative and unique ideas. For instance, the six parts of El Greco's “Santo Domingo el Antiguo Altarpiece” cannot usually be seen together at one time. However, our approach to creating a reproduction of this famous altarpiece has made it possible. We have also created a comparative exhibition of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, where visitors can see it before and after its restoration. Furthermore, we chose to exhibit our reproduction of Monet’s The Water Lilies outdoors under natural light, made possible by the unique properties of ceramic panels. The museum has received many positive reviews from visitors from inside and outside Japan. The Otsuka group will continue to promote art and culture in the local community through the museum and its creative technologies and unique ideas.

    * Total floor space: 29,412 m2

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