Management Policy
Corporate Philosophy
By pursuing new possibilities for SLC transporters and developing innovative new drugs that address unmet medical needs, we will contribute to supporting people around the world to maintain good health and hope.
Code of Conduct
Goals for 2030
First-in-Class drug discovery from a venture company
- Obtaining approval of LAT1 inhibitor (nanvuranlat) as monotherapy for the treatment of biliary tract cancer
- Pursuing LAT1 inhibitors’ potential as a new immune agonist and expanding into other cancer types, autoimmune diseases, and personalized medicine
- Creating new drugs targeting unexplored transporters
- Creating a platform for SLC transporter drug discovery technology and structuring continuous drug discovery
Management

Keiichi Masuya, Ph.D. Co-CEO
Keiichi was appointed Co-CEO in April 2025. Prior to this, he held the position of Head of PPI Drug Discovery and Leading Scientist at Novartis International AG (Switzerland). After that, he played a pivotal role in driving the exponential growth of PeptiDream Inc., where revenue increased dozens of times, as Director & COO.

Masuhiro (Max) Yoshitake President & CEO
Max was appointed President & CEO in December 2018. Prior to this, he held leadership positions in the global pharmaceutical business at Otsuka for over 30 years and served as Senior Executive Officer since 2007. While serving as Director of the U.S. office/laboratory and global business units, he successfully obtained FDA and EMA approvals for three pharmaceutical products.

Yutaka (Yuta) Fujimoto Director & CFO
Yuta was appointed CFO in July 2023. He started career at ZS Associates as a consultant for pharma in Japan and US. After that, he engaged in global marketing at Otsuka as Director of Business Intelligence. Subsequently, he started his own companies (Zpeer and VetScope) and increased their value by 200 times, eventually selling them to a global fund.
Corporate Governance
Our core management policy is to continuously enhance corporate value by maintaining transparency with shareholders and other stakeholders and by ensuring efficient and effective management practices. J-Pharma has chosen a “company with Audit and Supervisory Committee” structure to match the scale and nature of our business and to promote efficient management.
J-Pharma’s corporate governance structure is as follows:
Director Board of directors
Representative Director President & CEO | Masuhiro Yoshitake |
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Representative Director & Co-CEO | Keiichi Masuya |
Director CFO | Yutaka Fujimoto |
External Director | Sadashi Suzuki (Newton Biocapital Partners) |
External Director | Shinichiro Komoto (EIGHT ROADS VENTURES JAPAN) |
External Director | Kazunobu Nishimura (Shinsei Corporate Investment) |
External Director | Reiri Miura (SIIF Impact Capital) |
External Director | Takuma Tsuzuku (JIC Venture Growth Investments Co., Ltd.) |
External Director Chair of Audit and Supervisory Committee | Toshiyuki Mori |
External Director Audit and Supervisory Committee Member | Teruhisa Tajima (certified public accountant) |
External Director Audit and Supervisory Committee Member | Kosaku Kawaguchi (Lawyer) |
History
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1993 Started fundamental research and application of transporters at Kyorin University
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1998 Identified LAT1, a novel cancer-specific essential amino acid transporter protein
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Dec 2005 Established J-Pharma Co., Ltd.
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Oct 2006 Awarded the Medical Device Practical Research Support Project funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Innovation for “Development of drug for treating hyperphosphatemia” by J-Pharma
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Sep 2007 Awarded Innovation Practical Application Project from New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for “Development of scirrhous stomach cancer therapy” by J-Pharma
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Oct 2007 Awarded Molecular Imaging Research Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) for “Development of novel molecular probes targeting cancer cell-specific membrane proteins” by J-Pharma
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Aug 2009 Awarded Innovation Promotion Project from NEDO for “R&D project and clinical phase 1 study of a novel phosphoric acid adsorbent JPH101” by J-Pharma
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Aug 2010 Awarded Technology Development for Promoting the Transfer of Basic Research to Clinical Research from NEDO for “Research and Development of a New Anticancer Therapy Targeting Essential Amino Acid Transporter (LAT1) Expressed in Cancer Cells”
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Apr 2013 Awarded Venture Practical Application Grant Project from NEDO for “Clinical development of an innovative anticancer drug by inhibiting amino acid transporter” by J-Pharma
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Jul 2013 Awarded a Special Zone Leading Project Grant from Yokohama City for “Development of an in vitro diagnostic kit for triple-negative malignant breast tumor” by J-Pharma
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May 2014 Awarded Venture Practical Application Grant Project from NEDO for “Establishing POC of a novel anti-cancer drug nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) by clinical trials” by J-Pharma
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Jul 2014 Awarded a Special Zone Leading Project Grant from Yokohama City for “Commercial application of in vitro diagnostics for triple-negative breast cancer” by J-Pharma
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Jan 2015 Started Phase 1 study of nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) in Japan
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Jul 2017 Completed Phase 1 study of nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203)
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Nov 2018 Started Phase 2 study of nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) in Japan
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Apr 2019 Concluded an agreement with Ohara Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for licensing and co-development of nanvuranlat
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Apr 2022 Obtained Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA for nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) for the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancer
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Dec 2022 Completed Phase 2 study of nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) in Japan
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Oct 2023 Awarded Fast Forward Commercial Research funding program from National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) for the development of JPH034
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Jun 2024 Awarded Drug Discovery Venture Ecosystem Enhancement Project from Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) for the development of JPH034
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Sep 2024 Obtained U.S. FDA approval for the IND application to initiate clinical trials of nanvuranlat (Development code: JPH203) for cancer patients
Company Information
Company name | J-Pharma Co.,Ltd. |
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Head office | 8th Floor, VORT Hamamatsucho II, 1-10-11 Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0013, Japan TEL: 03-6432-4270 FAX: 03-6432-4271 |
Founded | December 26, 2005 |
Representative | Masuhiro Yoshitake (President & CEO) |
Capital stock | 80,000,000 yen (as of March 2025) |
Accounting period | March 31 |
Business description | Research & Development of pharmaceutical drugs |
Number of employees | 17 (as of June 2025) |
Subsidiary | J-PHARMA USA INC. |
Access Map
Partner
Out-License
J-Pharma has entered into a license agreement with Ohara Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. under which Ohara Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. will file for approval and market our development compound nanvuranlat for the indication of advanced biliary tract cancer in Japan and Asia.
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Ohara Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
In-License
J-Pharma has received exclusive patent licenses for JPH034, a compound developed by J-Pharma, from Osaka University and KNC Laboratories Co., Ltd.,. J-Pharma has also received a exclusive license to use patents held by Georgetown University for an amino acid transporter inhibitor for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (including MS). Under these agreements, J-Pharma is proceeding with the development of JPH034.
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Georgetown University
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Osaka University
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KNC Laboratories Co., Ltd.,
Collaborative research
J-Pharma conducts drug discovery in collaboration with universities and research institutions in Japan and abroad.
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Georgetown University(United States)
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Kanazawa University (Japan)
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KitasatoUniversity (Japan)
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MAYO CLINIC (United States)
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National Center for Global
Health and Medicine (Japan) -
Nihon University (Japan)
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Tochigi Cancer Center (Japan)
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Tokushima University (Japan)
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Yokohama City University (Japan)