(Yicai) Dec. 20 -- Japanese medical device maker Shimadzu has opened a JPY3 billion (USD19 million) factory in the Chinese city of Suzhou, enhancing its capacity to cater to China’s growing healthcare market.

The new plant will turn out high-end mass spectrometers and other medical equipment, hiking production capacity at Shimadzu largest manufacturing base in China by two-and-a-half times, Yicai learned from the Kyoto-based company.

China is Shimadzu's largest market outside Japan, it said, adding that this investment demonstrates the firm’s confidence in China’s healthcare market, especially given growing demand for healthcare services fueled by the country’s aging population.

By 2035, over 400 million people in China are expected to be aged 60 or above, representing nearly one-third of the population. That demographic shift is driving investments in medical technology, healthcare infrastructure, and drug innovation.

“As China’s population continues to age, the focus on healthcare is growing,” Shimadzu Chief Executive Yasunori Yamamoto told Yicai. He also highlighted the immense market potential in cutting-edge fields such as virus testing, small-molecule drugs, and gene therapy, which are being driven by supportive national policies and technological innovation.

Shimadzu mainly produces analytical and testing instruments, including chromatographs and mass spectrometers, as well as medical devices such as X-ray machines. It entered the Chinese market in 1980 and now operates in 14 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.

The firm’s net sales in China totaled JPY46.6 billion (USD295.4 million) in the six months ended Sept. 30, accounting for about 19 percent of its global total, its earnings report showed.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione