Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1781 by Chobei Takeda initially as a traditional trader of traditional Japanese and Chinese medicines. Over more than two centuries of corporate evolution, Takeda expanded into modern pharmaceutical manufacturing, established a powerful global research footprint, and completed transformative international acquisitions—such as the historic multi-billion-dollar buyout of Shire—to become one of the top global biopharmaceutical leaders specializing in rare diseases, gastroenterology, and oncology.