Corporate History
- 1894
- Founded as a cotton cloth wholesaler in Naka-ku, Nagoya under the name of "Hattori Kanesaburo Wholesale Store."
- 1912
- Hattori & Co., Ltd. incorporated.
- 1914
- Launched cotton cloth manufacturing (a new Sakurada factory constructed in Naka-ku, Nagoya).
- 1919
- Started spinning at Atsuta Factory.
- 1939
- Separated the spinning division (current Kowabo Company, Ltd. )
from the trading division to establish Kaneka Hattori & Co., Ltd. (current Kowa Company, Ltd. )
- 1940
- Company name changed to Hattori Co., Ltd.
- 1943
- Company name changed to Kofuku Sangyo Co., Ltd.
- 1945
- Branched out into the Industry and chemical field.
- 1946
- Branched out into the optical equipment field; Gamagori Factory constructed.
- 1947
- Branched out into the pharmaceutical field; Nagoya Factory constructed in Kita-ku, Nagoya.
- 1954
- Head office moved to the present location.
Established Kowa Shinyaku Co., Ltd.
- 1960
- Company name changed to Kowa Company, Ltd.
- 1964
- Tokyo Research Laboratory (current Tokyo New Drug Research Laboratories) opened.
Fuji Factory constructed (drug production).
- 1986
- Kowa Europe GmbH established.
- 1989
- Kowa Asia Ltd. established.
- 1995
- Hamamatsu Factory (for manufacture of medical devices) constructed.
- 1997
- Kowa Research Institute, Inc. established.
- 1999
- Kowa Research Europe, Ltd. established.
Through TOB, Nagoya Kanko Hotel Co., Ltd. became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd.
- 2003
- Nikken Chemicals Co., Ltd. became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.
- 2006
- Nikken Chemicals Co., Ltd. changed company name to Kowa Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd. (In Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
- 2008
- Purchased ProEthic Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and changed its name to Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
- 2010
- Maruei Department Store Co., Ltd. became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.
- 2013
- Nagoya Castle Co., Ltd. became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.
- 2017
- Emori & Co., Ltd. (current Kowa Emori Company, Ltd. ) became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.
- 2019
- Kowa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (In Naka-ku, Nagoya) established.
Kowa Company, Ltd. merged Kowa Shinyaku Co., Ltd. and Kowa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (In Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
- 2020
- Kowa Company, Ltd. merged Kowa Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (In Nagoya, Aichi)
- 2021
- Watabe Wedding Corporation became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.