12-Oct-16 Hoya Corp is to buy Performance Optics for USD476 mn. “Performance Optics provides Hoya with additional capabilities in polycarbonate, photochromic and polarized lens technologies, as well as an expansion of our global footprint,” Hoya Vision Care CEO Girts Cimermans said. Performance Optics has manufacturing facilities in the US, Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.

21-Oct-16 Keio University Hospital, one of Japan’s most prestigious medical institutions, has rolled out a network that facilitates collaboration between basic research and clinical healthcare. The new network is based on NEC's Software-Defined Networking, used to integrate networks that were divided between electronic charts and other medical care systems and basic research systems, and then connect these networks whenever necessary. [image: Keio University Hospital]

20-Oct-16 The first Japanese private hospital has opened in Cambodia, aimed to reduce the flow of Cambodian patients to neighboring countries. The hospital provides a 52-bed health service with more than 100 staff, of whom 30% are Japanese. Some 150,000 Cambodians travel abroad annually for health treatment, spending around USD600 mn. Vietnam and Thailand are their main destinations. [image: KYODO / The Japan Times]

31-Aug-16  Japanese ophthalmology specialist Santen Pharmaceutical has announced the start of operations of its joint venture with state-owned Chinese group Chongqing Kerui. This partnership, which will involve the establishment of China’s largest manufacturing site for eye care treatments in the city of Chongqing, promises to provide people in China with affordable ophthalmic products. [image: Santen Pharmaceutical]

07-Aug-16 Businesses in Japan are looking to cash in on the potential for smartphones and wearable devices as health care trends toward the digital age. They are especially interested in preventive medicine, an area that could help Japan slash its ballooning medical costs. But the environment for startups in Japan is making it difficult to find a viable business model. [image: IStock / The Japan Times]