Sue Lee, Regional Quality Manager at World Courier, investigates the East Asian island nation as a location for clinical trials. With a very stable population – the 11th largest globally, at 127 million – and outstanding life expectancy, Japan provides a strong demographic base for clinical trials, particularly for diseases associated with an aging population. Furthermore, the Japanese archipelago is also the world’s second-largest single-country pharmaceutical market. The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association has existed for almost 50 years and has 73 research-oriented pharmaceutical companies. The author elaborates on these factors, among others, to support her argument that every company should include Japan on their plans for both clinical trials and for ongoing marketing and development.