According to Nikkei, major Japanese pharmaceutical companies such as Astellas Pharma and Daiichi Sankyo are expanding their investments in China, the world’s second largest pharmaceutical market.

Chinese pharmaceutical companies have improved their capabilities in new drug development, attracting large pharmaceutical companies from Japan, Europe, and the United States in search of candidate new drugs. The uncertainty in U.S. medical policies is also driving new drug development to shift toward China. Astellas will establish an R&D base in Beijing's "International Pharmaceutical Innovation Park" as early as the second half of 2026. This will be the company's first R&D site in China, strengthening cooperation with local Chinese enterprises and researchers. The company already has clinical trial bases and sales offices in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as a manufacturing base in Shenyang; the new Beijing base will be responsible for discovering candidate substances for new drugs. Daiichi Sankyo will also invest about 1.1 billion yuan to launch a pharmaceutical manufacturing building in Shanghai by fiscal year 2030 to increase production capacity. It is expected to produce the company’s main anti-cancer drug "Enhertu" and the promising anti-cancer drug "Datroway."