September 9, 2026
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA)
Overview
PMDA and Toyama Prefecture jointly held the PMDA Hokuriku Branch 10th Anniversary Symposium under the theme “High quality pharmaceuticals from Toyama to Asia through advancing regulatory cooperation”
The year 2026 marks the 10th anniversary since the establishment of the PMDA Hokuriku Branch within the Toyama Prefectural Government Office in 2016. Over the past decade, the PMDA Hokuriku Branch has served as a key base for the PMDA Asia Training Center for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Regulatory Affairs (PMDA-ATC) and, with the cooperation of industry and academia particularly in Toyama Prefecture, has provided practical training seminars on pharmaceutical regulations to regulatory officials from countries and regions, particularly in Asia. Through the symposium, the initiatives and achievements to date were shared among participants, providing an opportunity to deepen understanding of the importance of regulatory cooperation and human resource development among countries and regions.
The symposium welcomed representatives from the pharmaceutical industry mainly from Toyama Prefecture, as well as officials from overseas regulatory authorities. More than 100 participants attended the event.
Host
PMDA, Toyama prefectural government
Date
July 14 (Tuesday), 2026
Venue
PALAIS BLANC KOSHIKAIKAN
Program
Please see attached for the details of the program[161KB]The PMDA Hokuriku Branch 10th Anniversary Symposium
In the opening remarks, Kenichi Tamiya, Senior Executive Director of PMDA, expressed his appreciation for the continued support provided by Toyama Prefecture, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders, which has enabled the PMDA Hokuriku Branch to serve as an important base for PMDA-ATC activities over the past decade. This was followed by remarks from Hachiro Nitta, Governor of Toyama Prefecture, delivered by Tetsuhiro Namerikawa, Director-General of Health and Welfare Department, Toyama Prefecture. The remarks expressed expectations that the activities of the PMDA Hokuriku Branch would further promote the international expansion of the pharmaceutical industry in Toyama Prefecture.
In the presentations, speakers introduced the background to the establishment of PMDA-ATC, its collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry in Toyama Prefecture, and the characteristics and future prospects of PMDA-ATC seminars. Efforts to support the international expansion of Kampo medicines and crude drugs, as well as the strengths of Japan’s high standards for quality management, were also shared. Examples of mock inspections and manufacturing site visits conducted as part of PMDA-ATC GMP seminars and Kampo seminars were presented. Through these examples, achievements in promoting mutual understanding with overseas regulatory authorities and in supporting the capacity building of regulatory officials were highlighted. Furthermore, information on the pharmaceutical application systems in various Asian countries and regions, as well as the experiences of reliance-based review pathways referring to PMDA review reports, was shared. the Toyama Pharmaceutical Association introduced the visits to Viet Nam as an international cooperation activities. These presentations provided an opportunity to deepen understanding of the importance of regulatory cooperation and industry exchange.
In the panel discussion, the speakers shared their views on the outcomes achieved through their cooperation with PMDA-ATC seminars, memorable experiences, and expectations for future seminars. They also exchanged opinions on regulatory cooperation and human resource development needed to support the expansion of Japanese pharmaceutical companies into Asian countries and regions. In addition, officials from regulatory authorities in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, who were visiting Japan as participants in the PMDA-ATC Generic Drugs Review Seminar 2026, conveyed their congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the PMDA Hokuriku Branch. They also shared information on regulatory systems and related developments concerning generic drugs in their respective jurisdictions.
Contact us
Office of Asia Training Center and International Cooperation,
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency
Tel: +81-3-3506-9456
E-mail: PMDA-ATC[at]pmda.go.jp
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