TOMITA PHARMACEUTICAL: Past, Present and Future

The story of Tomita Pharmaceutical began over a century ago. In the year 1872, when Kyusabro TOMITA (1852-1937) started research into and production of pharmaceuticals in Shizuoka Prefecture, he was the first Japanese to utilize seawater in the chemical industry, at which time he succeeded in producing Magnesium Carbonate. In 1893, he moved his plant from Shizuoka to Tokushima prefecture, the present site of Tomita Pharmaceutical. Tokushima on Shikoku island is a beautiful prefecture facing the Pacific Ocean. The site offered Kyusaburo TOMITA a sufficient supply of bittern and other raw materials for the production of Magnesium Chloride. At that time, the ubiquitous saltworks in the region were quite prosperous. He used the by-product (bittern) to develop inorganic chemicals such as Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium salts, Bromides, and other chemicals and compounds. In 1896, Kyusaburo succeeded in the development of refine Sodium Chloride, which was subsequently merchandised. He taught his production know-how to other people for the development of Japan's pharmaceutical industry. The quality of his products was highly appraised in the market place, and as a result, the government appointed Tomita as an official supplier of his products. At that time, such an appointment was a great honor for a company and Tomita's reputation quickly spread all over the country. In 1937, the company reorganized as a joint-stock corporation. In the 1940s, Tomita Pharmaceutical successfully developed other inorganic compounds (Magnesium hydroxide, Magnesium Oxide and so on) one after another, adding them to its product list. Continuous efforts to develop better-quality pharmaceutical products made Tomita Pharmaceutical of today's leading specialists in the inorganic chemical field. Tomita Pharmaceutical now manufactures not only various inorganic compounds but also organic chemicals such as Gluconates, Acetates and Citrates, thus serving customers worldwide in the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries. While capitalizing on its accumulated expertise, Tomita Pharmaceutical continues its strong commitment to the research and development of new products, modifications for new applications, and new production processes in order to meet the needs of users on an international scale.

Kyusabro Tomita (1852-1937)