- Business
- Gunze Limited is a Japan-based diversified manufacturer engaged in apparel, functional solutions, medical materials, and lifestyle creations businesses primarily in Japan with international operations. Founded in 1896 and headquartered in Osaka with registered offices in Ayabe, Kyoto, and additional facilities in Tokyo, the company operates through three main segments. The Apparel segment manufactures and sells innerwear, legwear, lifestyle wear, threads, and accessories under brands including BODY WILD, KIREILABO, YG, SEEK, Kaiteki Kobo, Tuché, Sai, COOLMAGIC, HOTMAGIC, MediCure, SABRINA, and KAIMIN NAVI; the Functional Solutions segment produces plastic films such as shrink films, flexible multilayer sheets, OPP films, and nylon films, engineering plastics including fluoro resin heat-shrinkable tubes, thin-walled tubes, fiber products, and seamless belts, mechatronics equipment for packaging, printing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, dairy, beverages, and food products, and electronic components like touch screen technologies; the Medical Materials segment offers bioabsorbable surgical suture threads, bone fixation devices, artificial dura mater, artificial dermis, adhesion barrier sheets, absorbable reinforcement felt, and medical stockings; and the Lifestyle Creations segment handles commercial facility development, landscaping, greening, sports clubs, spas, real estate leasing for shopping complexes, housing, and offices, plant materials sales, and energy engineering including solar power systems and thermal insulation.
In recent developments, Gunze completed the separation of its medical business into an independent segment in fiscal 2023 following the 2022 merger of sales subsidiaries into Gunze Medical Limited and the integration of R&D, pharmaceutical affairs, and management functions dedicated to medical devices; the company launched VISION 2030 Stage 2 in May 2025, a three-year medium-term plan targeting sustainable growth through core business expansion, high-profitability proprietary medical products, area-specific strategies in wound care and thoracic/abdominal surgery, new product development, and investments in production facilities such as a new medical R&D plant and expanded engineering plastics plant at Konan by March 2025, alongside full-scale operation of its Circular Factory for plastic films recycling; additionally, Gunze announced an equity buyback of 1.4 million shares representing 4.31% for ¥5 billion in November 2025 and reported consolidated net sales of ¥137.1 billion for fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, with ongoing share consolidation efforts.