Shimadzu: 150 Years of Instruments That Power Discovery

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In laboratories around the world — testing drugs, screening for disease, checking food safety — the instruments doing the measuring are often made by a 150-year-old company from Kyoto. Shimadzu is one of the world’s foremost makers of analytical instruments, and the rare corporation that produced a Nobel laureate from its own engineering ranks.

150 years of measurement

Shimadzu was founded in Kyoto in 1875 by Genzo Shimadzu, originally making scientific and educational equipment. A century and a half later it is a global leader in analytical and measuring instruments — liquid and gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, and spectroscopy systems that are standard tools in pharmaceutical, environmental, food, and materials laboratories. It built Japan’s first gas chromatograph in 1956, a technology now marking its seventieth year.

A Nobel Prize from the lab bench

Shimadzu’s most famous moment came in 2002, when one of its own engineers, Koichi Tanaka, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing soft ionisation methods that let mass spectrometry analyse large biological molecules — a breakthrough now central to proteomics and drug discovery. Remarkably, Tanaka was a working engineer rather than an academic, and Shimadzu established a research laboratory in his name. The company continues to push mass spectrometry, including work on early disease detection.

Four businesses, one discipline

Beyond analytical instruments, Shimadzu spans four broad fields: medical systems (X-ray and diagnostic imaging), aircraft equipment, and industrial machinery (materials testing machines, vacuum pumps), alongside its core scientific instruments. The common thread is precision measurement and control — applied from the hospital to the factory to the sky.

Why it matters for global partners and investors

• Investors get exposure to the structural growth of life sciences, drug development, and quality testing through a diversified, high-reputation instruments maker.
• Research and industry partners rely on Shimadzu instruments as lab standards; its installed base is a platform for software, services, and consumables.
• The story to watch is healthcare and diagnostics, where Shimadzu’s mass-spectrometry heritage positions it for emerging applications like early disease detection.

Frequently asked questions

What does Shimadzu make?
Shimadzu is a leading maker of analytical and measuring instruments — chromatographs, mass spectrometers, and spectroscopy systems — and also produces medical imaging equipment, aircraft equipment, and industrial machinery.

Who is Koichi Tanaka?
A Shimadzu engineer who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing soft ionisation methods for mass spectrometry of biological molecules — an unusual case of a corporate engineer becoming a Nobel laureate.

Why does Shimadzu matter?
Its instruments are standard tools in laboratories worldwide for pharmaceuticals, food safety, and environmental testing, making it foundational infrastructure for science and quality control.

Looking to source scientific instruments from, or partner with, a Japanese leader? Contact Japonity — we connect international businesses with Japan’s best companies, products, and technologies.