Juzo Ueno
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He started out as a sales agent for imported drugs, and in 1936 built the Takada Plant and moved into manufacturing injectables. For a long time the company had no research laboratory of its own, and its heart and liver drugs were not drugs it could develop in-house. In the shareholder register at the end of March 1961 he was the largest shareholder with 10.7%, holding the capital backing himself.
Selection
He was the first President, with no predecessor. In March 1943 he converted Chugai Shinyaku Shokai, which he had started as a sole proprietorship in 1925, into a stock company, becoming its President with the reorganization. In March 1956 the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. "Japan's recovery needs drug makers first" was the founding principle Ueno set out after the war.
Initiatives
When increasing production of the liver drug Gurongsan, made with glucuronic acid, he pushed through a plan to raise output to 1 ton a month despite internal opposition, declaring that if it failed he would put up his house and estate as collateral for the debt. In September 1964 he established the Chugai-kai system to stabilize demand for pharmacy-channel drugs. But excessive competition and consumers holding back on health tonics combined to shrink pharmacy sales, and in the fiscal year ended March 1966 the company fell to paying no dividend and solicited 420 early retirees.
Career
Career
中外新薬商会 (translation pending)
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Mar 1925 | Business (at founding) |
Chugai Pharmaceutical
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Mar 1943 | Reorganized as President |
| Apr 1966 | Stepped down as President |