Message from the President

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to everyone affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake that struck the Noto region on January 1. Our thoughts are with the victims of this disaster, and we sincerely pray for the swift recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas.

　Ichitaro Iwaki, the founder of IWAKI & Co., Ltd., lost his wholesale drug business in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Just two days later, he traveled alone to Doshomachi, Osaka, to replenish his stock. Despite the surging pharmaceutical prices in Tokyo, Ichitaro steadfastly stayed with fixed prices. In those days, Iwaki earned a reputation among partners and customers that amounted to: “If you want to buy medicines in Tokyo, Iwaki is the best place to go.” This story remains one of my favorite anecdotes about Astena.

　A century later, in 2021, we seized the opportunity of transitioning to a holding company structure, with our name changing from IWAKI & Co., Ltd. to Astena. As part of this transition, some corporate headquarters functions were moved to Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, marking our rebirth as a new corporate group. Even today, our fundamental philosophy of integrity, confidence, contribution, change, and cooperation—highly valued by Ichitaro Iwaki—remains deeply ingrained as the guiding principles for the actions of Group employees. We have improved these principles with innovation and collaboration, forming the basis of Astena’s behavioral guidelines known as SPIRIT.

　　As we celebrate our 110th anniversary in 2024, we are committed to continuing the legacy of SPIRIT, passed down from Ichitaro Iwaki, and to maximizing the best use of our management resources. Every employee will take the lead in activities aimed at contributing to the happiness of our stakeholders.

President
Satoshi Setoguchi