Japanese Health officials conducted inspections at a factory in Kinokawa, Wakayama, following the deaths of five individuals and the hospitalization of over 100 others linked to health supplements produced at the facility. The factory, operated by a subsidiary of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., was raided under the food sanitation act. This action came after authorities had already investigated another plant in Osaka that had manufactured the same product.
The supplements in question contained “benikoji,” a type of red mold, including Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals’ Benikoji Choleste Help pills, which claimed to help lower cholesterol levels. The company reported that around a million packages of these supplements were sold over the past three fiscal years, with some products exported internationally. The illness reports emerged in 2023, prompting a recall two months later.
Although the exact cause of the sicknesses, which include kidney failure, is still unknown, Japanese health authorities suspect that the supplements may be responsible for the adverse effects. The government has ordered a review of the approval system for health products in response to the incident. Analysts attribute the deregulation initiatives aimed at stimulating economic growth as a factor in the simplified approval process for these health products.
The aftermath of this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of rigorous government checks over consumer products in Japan, where deaths from mass-produced items are rare. This story corrections a previous version that erroneously stated the supplements caused the deaths and illnesses. Japanese health authorities have not yet determined the exact cause of the adverse effects.
This article was contributed by AP writer Mari Yamaguchi, with additional reporting by Yuri Kageyama.
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