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Citeline Japan Awards 2025

Honouring trailblazing innovators in global biopharma in Japan
Citeline Japan Awards 2025

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ABOUT THE AWARDS


The Citeline Japan Awards 2025 return for the 4th anniversary!

The Citeline Japan Awards, now in its 4th year, will make a triumphant return to Tokyo on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, bringing together hundreds of trailblazing leading innovators, to meet and network, discover new opportunities, and reflect on life-changing accomplishments made over the previous year.

The Awards recognize the outstanding advancements and innovations in Japanese pharma and biotech, highlighting Japan’s integral role in the global healthcare market. Entries are now open! We cannot wait to see what extraordinary contributions you will submit for the Citeline Awards Japan.

Key Details:

Table prices start from $2580

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

The Palace Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

There is no fee for entering


Watch the 2024 Highlights Video

THE CITELINE JAPAN AWARDS 2025 CATEGORIES

The Best New Drug Award recognizes excellence in pharmaceutical development. In this category, the judges will be looking for the small-molecule, biological, cell/ gene therapy, digital therapeutic or vaccine product approved in Japan during the qualifying period that represents the best therapeutic advance in its area.

WHO CAN ENTER

Entrants must have played a key role in the development of the nominated product, for example as a sole licensee or co-developer responsible for clinical trials and/or regulatory submissions, and all company members of joint development or joint venture agreements should be disclosed in the application.


This award honors outstanding achievements by biotech companies over the qualifying period. This could be in terms of moving the business from an early stage to a more mature company, signing a transformative deal, taking its first or a major new product towards the market, or raising significant new funds.

WHO CAN ENTER

Company’s highlighting their most significant achievement during the year. Accomplishments in terms of: bringing new products closer to market; raising funds; significant licensing or partnership deals; evidence that management has been able to make difficult decisions to progress the company and its products; using proprietary science or technologies for unmet medical needs; transition from early stage to more mature company.


This Award is to recognize contract research organizations that provide full or specialist services to their clients and which have an office or other base (but not necessarily a head office) either in Japan or the Asia region, including Australia.

Judging will consider the quality and benefits of services and relationships built with clients and will pay particular attention to innovative patient trial recruitment strategies brought to the table.

WHO CAN ENTER

Entrant companies must offer services in Japan, but the achievements listed in the entry form do not necessarily have to be trials or services conducted in Japan (for example, clinical trials conducted in China or Australia are also eligible).


This Award is to recognize contract development manufacturing organizations that provide full or specialist services to their clients and which have an office or other base (but not necessarily a head office) either in Japan or the Asia region, including Australia.

Judging will consider the quality and benefits of services and relationships built with clients and will pay particular attention to innovative services or processes brought to the table.

WHO CAN ENTER

Entrant companies must offer services in Japan, but the achievements listed in the entry form do not necessarily have to be services or manufacturing conducted in Japan (for example, such activities conducted in Asia or Australia are also eligible).


Deals considered here are those that involve the licensing of a particular drug, project or group of R&D assets from one company to another for further development and/ or marketing. (This category does not include more complex, broad partnerships between companies, for example to explore particular therapeutic strategies or mechanisms of action.) The judges will look at all aspects from monetary and strategic value to the benefits they give to both sides.

WHO CAN ENTER

This category does not include more complex, broad partnerships between companies, for example to explore particular therapeutic strategies or mechanisms of action.


This Award seeks to reward successful and creative fundraising by pharma and biotech companies in Japan, which are either privately or publicly owned. The investment can take various forms, including grants and public-private partnership deals, to fundraising from venture capital and private equity partners and initial public offerings. The majority of the new funds should be earmarked for use in drug discovery and/or company development.

WHO CAN ENTER

The basic criterion for this award is the total amount of money raised at one time – for example in a Series A (or later) funding round or through an IPO – but other factors should be considered as well.


The Pharma Company of the Year Award honors outstanding achievement by pharmaceutical companies. This special award is chosen not by the independent judging panel but by our own senior editorial team.

You can nominate your own company but there is no shortlist and the winner is decided by our senior editorial team.


HEADLINE SPONSOR

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ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization, with over 38,000 employees in 93 locations in 46 countries around the world, headquartered in Dublin. We advance clinical research by providing outsourced development and commercialization services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and government and public health organizations. Our services span the entire lifecycle of product development, from molecule to medicine, across a broad range of therapeutic areas. We develop new innovations, drive emerging therapies forward, and improve patient lives.

 

JUDGES
Photo of Steve Engen.
Steve Engen
CEO
Renexes LLC, ex-President, Mundipharma Japan and Solasia Pharma
Headshot of Aya Kubota.
Jiro Fujiyasu
Director, Head of Pharmaceuticals / HealthCare Industrial Research Division
SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.
''
Shoichiro Hamano
CEO
Hamano International
Headshot of Dr Keji Hirai.
Dr Keji Hirai
Former Representative Director and President & CEO, Director (Outside), Program Officer
KYORIN Pharmaceutica, Fuji Pharma, Committee member of AMED, Visiting Professor, Kitasato University, Ph. D. (School of Medicine)
''
Thomas Jonsson
Managing Director
Zinagi Consulting
''
Dr Shingo Kano
Professor
University of Tokyo/Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
Headshot of Aya Kubota.
Tim Kendall
Business development and licensing consultant
Headshot of Aya Kubota.
Aya Kubota
Editor-in-Chief, Nikkei Biotechnology & Business
Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
''
Mitsuru Miyata
CEO
Miyata Institute of Technologies/President, Healthcare Innovation
''
Dr Toshio Miyata
Professor, President
Faculty of Science and Engineering, DEN Medical Corporation MIH Clinic, Waseda University, Japan Health Conference executive committee member
Headshot of Fumiyoshi Sakai.
Fumiyoshi Sakai
Japan Healthcare Strategist, Global Research Division
UBS Securities Japan Co., Ltd.
''
Dr Noboru Yamamoto
Deputy Director, Director / Clinical Research Support Office, Director
National Cancer Center Hospital, Department of Experimental Therapeutics
Steve Engen
CEO
  Renexes LLC, ex-President, Mundipharma Japan and Solasia Pharma
Steve brings over 20 years of senior executive level operating and transaction experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with expertise in Japanese/Asian markets. In 2014, he established his own biopharma consultancy, and continues to support Japanese, Chinese, and western biopharma clients. From 2014 until May 2018, Steve was Managing Director and Head of Asia for Locust Walk, where he established the Locust Walk Japan office. During the four years that Steve ran the Locust Walk Japan office, he oversaw eleven transactions (including buy-side and sell-side transactions) between western and Asian companies.
Steve previously headed the Japanese operations of Shire Pharmaceuticals. Before Shire, Steve served as CEO of Solasia Pharma, a cancer-focused development stage company. Raising over $40MM in venture capital, he built a portfolio of novel cancer drugs and established operations in Japan and China. Steve launched his biopharma career at Purdue Pharma in business development, and then held the position of President of Mundipharma Japan for nine years. In this role, he oversaw the development and commercialization of the company’s leading pain management franchise.
Steve, his wife, and two daughters currently have their primary residence in Bellevue, Washington. Steve is fluent in written and spoken Japanese.
Jiro Fujiyasu
Director, Head of Pharmaceuticals / HealthCare Industrial Research Division
 SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.
Jiro Fujiyasu joined Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical (now Astellas Pharma) in 2000 and joined SMBC Nikko Securities in 2020, where he currently works. He has been involved in drug discovery research and the formulation of research and corporate strategies and AI and BigData strategies. His areas of expertise include research and corporate strategy formulation and analysis of science trends, including healthcare. He contributed to the sale of Sansho Pharmaceutical to Towa Pharmaceutical by Carlyle and the IPOs of SUSMED, TSUBOTA LABORATORY, TMS and Noile-Immune Biotech. M.Sc. in Agriculture, University of Tokyo.
Shoichiro Hamano
CEO
 Hamano International
He is a recipient of the U.S. FDA Commissioner's Special Award and a former ICHGMP EWG member and received his PhD from the University of Tokyo and his Master's degree from Kanazawa University, in pharmacy, a registered Pharmacist, involved in new business development, technology transfer, licensing, negotiation, contract drafting, JV establishment, and M&A for 25 years in big pharma.
His areas of expertise include licensing, technology transfer, new business development, start-up consulting and related services, currently serves as an adviser to the Toyama Pharmaceutical Association. He also served as the Senior Vice President of KUTLO-NITT (TLO Union), as CD of Hokuriku Innovation Cluster for Health Science and adviser to the DBJ VC "BHP".
He has visited more than 250 venture companies in the world and made business contacts with more than 350 leading pharmaceutical companies in Japan and overseas. Traveled overseas more than 300 times.
Office is located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, the center of Japan's pharmaceutical industry.
Dr Keji Hirai
Former Representative Director and President & CEO, Director (Outside), Program Officer
 KYORIN Pharmaceutica, Fuji Pharma, Committee member of AMED, Visiting Professor, Kitasato University, Ph. D. (School of Medicine)
Dr Keiji Hirai joined KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in April 1972. He was appointed Executive Director, Discovery Research Headquarters of KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in 2002 and Director of ActivX Biosciences, Inc. (SanDiego) from 2004 to 2012. In 2009, he became the Representative Director and President & CEO, R&D Headquarters and Business Development of KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Executive Director of KYORIN Co., Ltd. In 2013, he was appointed Advisor of KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Dr Hirai is currently the Director (Outside) of Fuji Pharma Co., Ltd., Program Officer, Department of Research Promotion Division of Infectious Disease Research of Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Committee member (Department of CiCLE Innovation) of AMED, and a Visiting Professor, the Omura Satoshi Memorial Institute, Kitasato University.
He received his Ph. D. from Gunma University (School of Medicine) in May 1987.
Thomas Jonsson
Managing Director
 Zinagi Consulting
Thomas established Zinagi, a lifescience consulting company, in 2013 and has successfully supported innovative medical device, medical software, and biotech companies. Thomas previously served as Lifescience Ambassador for Medicon Valley Alliance and prior to that held commercial positions at several global big pharma companies.
Dr Shingo Kano
Professor
 University of Tokyo/Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
Shingo Kano is a Professor in Bio-Innovation Policy Unit, Graduate school of Frontier Science, the University of Tokyo, where he also completed his PhD in Science Policy. He had a varied career in industry as management consultant in Nomura Research Institute, securities analyst and venture capitalist for the healthcare sector in Nomura Securities and run the university spin off drug discovery firm as president and CEO for ten years before starting his academic career.
His current research focuses on the recognition gap between university and industry, the role and management of university spin off, how regulation and innovation interact in the advanced industries, and the changing role of universities and companies in the national innovation systems.
Tim Kendall
Business development and licensing consultant
 
Originally from Manchester in the United Kingdom, Dr Tim Kendall graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University and completed his postgraduate studies at Kyoto University. After initially joining Pfizer Global Research and Development in Nagoya, he joined RaQualia as part of the spin-out from Pfizer. In 2016 Tim became an independent business development and licensing consultant with a focus on aiding companies and organizations create and foster ties between Japan, the US, and EU. Tim is an expert in licensing transactions and most recently developing fee-for-service businesses in Japan.
Aya Kubota
Editor-in-Chief, Nikkei Biotechnology & Business
 Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.
In 2002, graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and joined Nikkei Business Publications. For seven years, starting in 2002, Kubota collected information and wrote articles about the bio- and healthcare industry inside and outside Japan as a reporter for a monthly magazine, Nikkei Biotechnology & Business (now discontinued), and a newsletter, Nikkei Biotech . In 2009 and after, Kubota collected information and wrote articles about end-of-life care, novel influenza, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and other topics as a reporter for Nikkei Medical, which is a magazine for physicians. Since 2014, Kubota has served as deputy editor of Nikkei Biotechnology & Business and deputy editor of Nikkei Medical. Since April 2023, Kubota has been in her current position and conducts research and writes articles focusing on the diversification of modalities in the pharmaceutical industry.
Mitsuru Miyata
CEO
 Miyata Institute of Technologies/President, Healthcare Innovation
Mr. Miyata joined Nikkei Inc. in 1979 after completing a postgraduate degree in Botany at the University of Tokyo. Mr. Miyata then worked in the editorial department of Nikkei medical and was involved in the launch of Nikkei biotech. Mr. Miyata was then appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of Nikkei biotech in 1985. In July 2015, Mr. Miyata founded the Miyata Institute of Technologies and became the President. Then in April 2017, he founded Healthcare Innovation and was appointed it’s President.
He is also involved in various public activities such as being the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and AMED.
Dr Toshio Miyata
Professor, President
 Faculty of Science and Engineering, DEN Medical Corporation MIH Clinic, Waseda University, Japan Health Conference executive committee member
In 1999, Miyata transferred into the Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University, in the third year, following his assignment to a laboratory related to medical-engineering cooperation at the School of Science and Engineering, Waseda University. In 2003, he joined the First Surgery Department of Osaka University. In 2009, Miyata faced issues related to drug lag and device lag on the medical front as a physician, joined the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and was involved in many healthcare reforms to establish rules for the practical use of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and regenerative medicine.

He was engaged in restoration and recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake as well. Miyata is still a working surgeon and regularly performs operations. At the same time, he is also promoting the establishment of community-based integrated care systems. To promote homecare, Miyata founded the MIH Clinic. Miyata engages in the protection of community healthcare, as well as company health management, and is active in the prevention of the deterioration of lifestyle-related diseases, and in home healthcare, daycare for sick children, online medical care, and COVID-19 measures.

Miyata is familiar with drug administration, as he was also in charge of the Investigational Committee for Usage of Unapproved/Off-label Drugs, advanced medical care, and measures against drug-induced damage while he was in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Miyata engages in multifaceted activities to respond to the needs of the times, for example, by establishing a self-medication digital business in which physicians collaborate with pharmacists using a smartphone-based application.

In Miyata's laboratory of Waseda University, he is studying healthcare policy, regulatory science, online medical care/software/SaMD, healthcare/medical care DX, including the use of PHR and data, clinical research, clinical epidemiology, clinical study, PMD Acts, regenerative medicine system, medical insurance system, clinical examination, foods with function claims, etc. Moreover, Miyata promotes the development of human resources for clinical epidemiology as the Board member of the Society for Clinical Epidemiology.
Fumiyoshi Sakai
Japan Healthcare Strategist, Global Research Division
 UBS Securities Japan Co., Ltd.
After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in Finance, Mr. Sakai joined Imperial Chemical Industries Japan, a British chemical company, where he worked for five years in Japan and the UK. Mr. Sakai then joined the Corporate Research Department of the Economic Research Institute of Yamaichi Securities. After this, Mr. Sakai joined Société Générale, working within Domestic Equities and the Corporate Research Department in 1998. Since 2002, he has worked as an analyst for the pharmaceutical industry in Deutsche Securities' Equities Research Department. Mr. Sakai joined Credit Suisse First Boston Securities (now Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Limited) in July 2005 where he worked as a Senior Analyst and Director in the Equity Research Department. In both 2008 and 2009, Mr. Sakai was ranked third in the pharmaceutical sector by Institutional Investor magazine. He is a member of the Securities Analysis Association of Japan. He is also the author of several books.
Dr Noboru Yamamoto
Deputy Director, Director / Clinical Research Support Office, Director
 National Cancer Center Hospital, Department of Experimental Therapeutics
Dr. Yamamoto graduated from Hiroshima University School of Medicine in 1991 and started his residency in internal medicine at the National Cancer Center Hospital in 1995. Dr. Yamamoto became a physician in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the National Cancer Center Hospital in 2000, and in 2013 he progressed to Director of the Department of Advanced Medicine there. Since 2019, Dr Yamamoto has worked as the Director of the Division of Clinical Research Support and Deputy Director of the National Cancer Center Hospital. Dr Yamamoto specializes in the early clinical development of novel anticancer agents, thoracic oncology and clinical pharmacology. Dr. Yamamoto received the ASCO Merit Award in 1996, 1999 and 2000, and has been a member of the editorial board of the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology since 2005.
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PREVIOUS CITELINE JAPAN AWARD CEREMONIES

The Citeline Japan Awards are now in their 4th year of recognizing outstanding advancements and innovations in Japanese pharma and biotech, highlighting Japan’s integral role in the global healthcare market. Take a look back at our previous Awards and winners.
Banner announcement for the Citeline Japan Awards 2024 held on October 22
Commercial

Citeline Japan Awards 2024

Palace Hotel, Tokyo
Join us for the 3rd Citeline Japan Awards on October 22, 2024, in Tokyo. Reward innovation, network, and showcase your achievements in Japanese pharma and biotech.

 JUL 15, 2024

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Citeline Japan Pharma Intelligence Awards image poster
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Citeline Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan 2023

Palace Hotel, Tokyo
The Citeline Pharma Intelligence Awards Japan gather leading innovators from the Japanese pharma and biotech industries, providing them with the opportunity to connect, explore new prospects, and celebrate the remarkable achievements of the previous year.

 JUL 10, 2023

Headline sponsor

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THE CITELINE JAPAN AWARDS FAQ'S

Please feel free to contact the Japanese Award Management Team [email protected]. If necessary, we will contact the judging committee for a response

Yes, if you meet the entry criteria, you are welcome to enter more than one category. Please submit an entry form for each category you wish to enter.

Yes, there is a section on the entry form for them to do so.

Yes, you can. However, you cannot enter a category in which you are sponsoring. For more details on sponsorship, please see the Sponsorship Guide.

After submitting your entry form, the Award Management Team will send you an email confirming receipt.

Inquiry

Do you have a question about the Awards? Contact our team today for help.

Citeline Japan Office

21F, Otemachi Financial City North Tower, 1-9-5, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 100-0004