Chobei I Takeda founded a business selling Chinese and Japanese medicines in 1781 that would later become Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Over 235 years, Takeda transformed from a small medicine seller to a global pharmaceutical company through important events like establishing an in-house testing lab in 1907, growing business operations after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan, and incorporating divisions into a single corporation led by Chobei V in 1925. Today, Takeda remains a global research-driven company focused on priorities of patients, trust, reputation, and business as guided by the Nori Principle of integrity, fairness, and honesty introduced by Chobei V in 1940.