Japan Trading Houses Boosting Medical Biz

Tokyo, Dec. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese trading houses are putting more efforts into their medical-related businesses in Japan and abroad.

Itochu Corp. <8001> recently invested in TXP Medical Co., a Tokyo-based company that digitizes patient information exchanged between emergency crews and hospitals usually over the phone or on paper, in order to realize faster transportation and treatment for patients.

Itochu also formed a capital and business alliance with MNES Inc., a company based in the western Japan city of Hiroshima providing systems for sharing computer tomography and other examination images.

"There are many analog aspects in health care businesses, so there is a lot of room for improving efficiency," Itochu General Manager Tetsuya Asano said.

Itochu will also link data from related businesses such as pharmaceuticals and health care in the future to improve its overall service quality.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]