Mitsui to expand health startup investment with focus on ASEAN

Trading house plans fivefold funding rise, sees technology as solution

A molecular diagnostic laboratory in Singapore operated by Mirxes, a Singapore-headquartered company that has developed the world's first molecular blood test for the early detection of gastric cancer. Mitsui & Co. invested as a shareholder in the company's latest fundraising round. (Courtesy of Mirxes)

KEIGO YOSHIDA, Nikkei staff writer

September 1, 2023 09:59 JST

TOKYO -- Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. plans to increase fivefold its investments in medical startups over the next three years, with a focus in Southeast Asian companies, Nikkei has learned.

The company hopes to plow 10 billion yen ($68 million) in the years to March 2026 in startups that are developing cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the prevention of lifestyle-related conditions and their treatments, including home remedies.