October 20, 2009

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Takeda Announces Principal Sponsorship of the Yokohama Women's Marathon

Osaka, Japan, October 20, 2009 – Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Osaka, Japan, “Takeda”) announced today its principal sponsorship of the inaugural Yokohama Women's Marathon, which will be held on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

The Yokohama Women's Marathon is positioned as the successor to the former Tokyo International Women's Marathon, which was one of Japan’s major women’s marathons and ended with its 30th anniversary meet last year.

The new marathon’s route winds through the center of Yokohama, and participants will be able to enjoy such scenic spots as Yamashita Park, the Red Brick Warehouse, and the Minato Mirai Zone. Like its predecessor the Yokohama Women's Marathon, it will be a major race for selecting runners to represent Japan in international competitions such as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics and the Olympics, and therefore likely to attract considerable attention.

In keeping with its mission of striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products, Takeda actively supports marathons around world in order to promote public health and sports.

"We believe that the mindset of marathon runners, who leverage perseverance to run great distances, has much in common with the principles of Takeda’s management philosophy we have nurtured throughout our 228-year history.” said Takeda President, Yasuchika Hasegawa. “It is a great honor for Takeda to sponsor this inaugural race of the Yokohama Women's Marathon, and would be delighted if our sponsorship contributes to the advancement of this event and marathon competitions in general.”

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