ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it formed a capital and business alliance with fermata Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Amina Sugimoto; hereinafter “fermata”) solving domestic and overseas female wellness issues and supporting people by providing femtech goods and corporate consulting.

Today, women’s participation in society and the low birth rate have become urgent social issues, and workstyles and ways of life are diversifying. The femtech market is growing as a new industry that protects the health and wellbeing of women living in the modern society and improves their quality of life. According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japanese femtech market is expected to reach two trillion yen in 2025.
However, there are no old or existing femtech goods in Japan, and it is necessary for most new products to apply for review and approval before being manufactured or marketed as medical devices and quasi-drugs are controlled by the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. It takes a long time to get approval. These are issues in the popularization of these products.

fermata provides the state-of-the-art products from Japan and overseas related to menstruation, pregnancy and post-menopausal health through Japan’s largest online femtech specialty store and brick-and-mortar stores. They hold seminars and training programs for domestic businesses to improve the companies’ understanding of the active participation of women in society ahead of others in their industries. fermata’s business domain includes consulting with manufacturers on the development of femtech products.
In addition, to distribute their products and services to the market, they support the amendment and optimized interpretation of the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices and other laws and regulations in connection with securing the quality, efficacy, and safety of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and the like made in Japan in cooperation with government organizations including ministries and agencies.

Through the capital and business alliance, ITOCHU will support the expansion of the sales of fermata’s femtech products utilizing its domestic logistics network. Additionally, ITOCHU will support seminars and training programs organized by fermata for companies inside and outside the ITOCHU Group and for femtech product development consulting services while aiming to establish a new business in the field of femtech and healthcare. ITOCHU is planning to support the overseas business expansion of fermata in Southeast Asia and other areas in the future, leveraging its overseas network.

ITOCHU included contributing to the SDGs and strengthening SDG initiatives in the Basic Policies in its medium-term management plan. Through these initiatives, ITOCHU will continue to support people’s lives and accelerate the expansion of products and services which help eliminate worry and solve issues related to women’s physical health, which is a social issue, aiming to establish a society that is comfortable for all people to live in.