Our History

"I want to produce an artificial nipple which is very similar to mother’s nipple"
- Yuichi Nakata, founder of Pigeon

With no available research data and know how, Mr. Nakata found his own unique methods to study the sucking mechanism of babies.

Mr. Nakata’s research data has contributed to the development of artificial teats. What Yuichi Nakata saw was the unique movements of the tongues of babies when they sucked milk. Scientifically named “Peristaltic Movements” much later, they formed the basis of all the bottles and teats made in the PIGEON research centre.

To meet the needs for quality mother and baby care products, PIGEON was founded in 1957 in Japan by its founder Yuichi Nakata whose vision to provide quality, comfort, convenience and affordability in one brand has made PIGEON the market leader today.
       

Spreading our wings to over 40 countries

       

With the range of products encompassing every need in maternity and baby care, PIGEON is a one-stop shop for mothers and mother-to-be.

Spreading its wings to over 40 countries, PIGEON is the top player in the international markets today. Headquartered in Japan, PIGEON has subsidiaries in Singapore, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Korea, China, and USA. Singapore is the regional headquarter for the ASEAN countries.

For over 6 decades, PIGEON has dedicated research capabilities towards the sucking behaviour of babies. Having established a solid foundation of research, PIGEON is recommended today by most top medical and academic professionals.

Our Timeline

1950s

1957

Pigeon Honyuki Honpo Corporation

Pigeon Honyuki Honpo (Nursing Bottle Manufacturing) Corporation established in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

1958

Head office relocated to Kanda-Higashimatsushita-cho, Tokyo

1960s

1963

Ichikawa Plant opened in Chiba Prefecture; Osaka Office established

1964

Fukuoka Office established

1965

Nagoya and Sapporo offices established

1966

Name changed to Pigeon Corporation

1967

Hiroshima Office established

1968

Sendai Office established

1970s

1973

Branch offices reorganised as stores; head office new building in Kanda-Tomiyama-cho, Tokyo, constructed

1978

Pigeon Singapore Pte. Ltd. established in Singapore

1980s

1983

Yoichi Nakata appointed President


Yoichi Nakata

1985

Adopted Corporate Identity

1986

Omiya Sales Office renamed Omiya Store

1987

Newborn Baby Commemorative Tree-Planting

The “Newborn Baby Commemorative Tree-Planting” Campaign launched as part of our corporate identity

1988

Shares registered

1989

Tsukuba Office opened

Tsukuba Office opened in Ibaraki Prefecture (relocated from Ichikawa); Pigeon Will Corporation established

1990s

1990

Thai Pigeon Co., Ltd. established as a joint venture in Thailand

1991

Joso Research Center

Joso Research Center (now Central Research Center) established in Ibaraki Prefecture

1993

Pigeon Land

“Pigeon Land” child-minding facility for infants launched at Joso Research Center (now Central Research Center)

1994

Pt. Modern Pigeon Indonesia established as a joint venture in Indonesia

1995

Listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange

1996

Pigeon Industries (Thailand) Co., Ltd. established as a joint venture in Thailand

1996

Hitachiota Logistics Center began operations

1997

Listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange

1998

Kanzaki Logistics Center (Hyogo Prefecture) began operations

1999

Pigeon Kids World Corporation established

2000s

2000

Seiichi Matsumura appointed President and Chief Operating Officer; Yoichi Nakata appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


Seiichi Matsumura

Pigeon Manaka Corporation established

2001

The “Newborn Baby Commemorative Tree-Planting” Campaign conducted for the 15th time

Tsukuba Office acquired ISO14001 certification

2002

PHP Hyogo Corporation joins the Pigeon Group

Pigeon (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. established in China

Operation of licensed daycare centers, Pigeon Land Joso and Pigeon Land Yukitani, started

2003

Fukuyo Ibaraki Corporation changed its name to PHP Ibaraki Corporation

Pigeon Kids World Corporation changed its name to Pigeon Hearts Corporation

PHP Hyogo Corporation changed its name by replacing the katakana representation of “PHP” to its romanised form

2004

Tahira Corporation joins the Pigeon Group

Operation of Sanno national child-minding facility (Ota-ku, Tokyo) launched

Lansinoh Laboratories, Inc. in the USA joins the Pigeon Group

Operation of 113 child-minding facilities in hospitals of the National Hospital Organization (independent administrative agency) launched

2005

Privacy Mark certification acquired

2006

Pigeon Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. established in China

Tahira Corporation changed its name to Pigeon Tahira Corporation

The “Newborn Baby Commemorative Tree-Planting” Campaign conducted for the 20th time

Head office relocated to Nihonbashi-Hisamatsu-cho, Tokyo, as a result of the integration of all offices

2007

Akio Okoshi appointed President and Chief Operating Officer; Seiichi Matsumura appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer;


Akio Okoshi

Yoichi Nakata appointed Executive Advisor and Member of the Board

Recoup brand of anti-aging products launched

2008

Representative office established in India

2009

Lansinoh Laboratories, Inc. acquired sales rights for Soothies brand

Pigeon India Pvt. Ltd. established in India

Exclusive sales rights of “Mamas & Papas” (British company) products in Japan acquired

2010s

2010

Sales of UK brand “Mamas & Papas” products launched

Sales of Double Heart brand launched in South Korea

Lansinoh Laboratories, Inc. took over “mOmma” business

2011

Pigeon Malaysia Trading Sdn. Bhd. established in Malaysia after a local sales company became our wholly-owned subsidiary

Lansinoh Laboratories, Inc. acquired all of Health Quest Ltd. shares

2012

DoubleHeart Co., Ltd. established in South Korea

2013

Shigeru Yamashita appointed President and Chief Operating Officer; Akio Okoshi appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


Shigeru Yamashita

2014

Pigeon Corporation absorbed and merged with Pigeon Will Corporation

Lansinoh Laboratórios Do Brazil Ltda. established in Brazil

2015

LANSINOH LABORATORIES BENELUX established in Belgium

2016

LANSINOH LABORATORIES SHANGHAI established in China

2017

PT PIGEON INDONESIA in Indonesia became consolidated subsidiary

2019

Norimasa Kitazawa appointed President and Chief Executive Officer

Shigeru Yamashita appointed Chairman of the Board


Norimasa Kitazawa

1940s

1949

First nursing bottle (A-type) with a wide neck

Doufu-Boueki, the predecessor of Pigeon Corporation, was established. First nursing bottle (A-type) with a wide neck was introduced in Japan. This pioneering design was more hygienic than previous bottles with a connected teat.

1950s

1950

A-type nursing bottle — prototype of the current design — was introduced.

1952

B-type nursing bottle with a narrow neck was introduced.

1953

C-type improved nursing bottle with a connected teat was introduced.

1954

S-type polyethylene nursing bottle was introduced in Japan

S-type polyethylene nursing bottle was introduced in Japan. The hexagonal shape not only helped babies grasp it easily but the new material also brought dramatic product improvements.

1956

The F-type nursing bottle, which was small and even suitable for fruit juice, was introduced.

1957

Pigeon Corporation was established

L-type high-density polyethylene nursing bottle was introduced. This was designed to withstand boiling during sterilization, a weakness of traditional bottles.

1959

The H-4-type and H7-type

The H-4-type and H7-type nursing bottles, both with narrow necks and directly attached teats, were introduced.

The H-4-type nursing bottle was used at the Japan Red Cross Hospital, which was an important first step in the eventual widespread use of nursing bottles at hospitals and maternity hospitals.

1960s

1960

AN-type polyamide (nylon resin) nursing bottle was introduced.

A-D silicone teat was introduced.

Isoprene rubber teat, which resists wear compared with natural rubber, was introduced.

1962

Polycarbonate (PC) nursing bottle was introduced. Made to withstand sterilization, this tough, transparent, and lightweight design fulfilled all requirements for nursing bottles.

R-8-type nursing bottle was awarded the Tokyo Invention Prize, and was recommended by Japan Red Cross Hospital.

1964

A-type glass nursing bottle was introduced, becoming a best-selling product for 15 years.

1965

W-8-type nursing bottle was introduced

W-8-type nursing bottle was introduced. Thanks to improved bottle-mouth molding, the bottle’s flat mouth inner surface simplified cleaning for enhanced hygiene.

1966

Exporting to global markets started.

1967

Nursing bottle with a cap was approved by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee and awarded the JIS Mark.

1968

Pigeon's market share for nursing bottles in Japan reached 80%.

1970s

1977

P-type nursing bottle was introduced

P-type nursing bottle was introduced. This was specially designed for proper feeding of babies with cleft palate or inadequate sucking strength.

1979

K-type nursing bottle was introduced.

K-type nursing bottle was introduced. With its wide-end and rounded-corner square-bottom design, this uniquely stable shape was easy to hold and keep clean, and also simplified formula mixing.

1980s

1988

Peristaltic motion in baby's natural sucking

Pigeon Basic Research group identified peristaltic motion in baby’s natural sucking action. This research has contributed many studies of infant growth to pediatric healthcare institutions, etc.

1990s

1991

Nursing bottle and teat (Bonyu-soudan-shitsu) were introduced to promote education in breastfeeding.

1997

Concern about endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment led to media focus on polycarbonate (PC) nursing bottles.

1999

Glass nursing bottle sales shipments rose to 80% of market share.

2000s

2000

Five major manufacturers prepared and presented guidelines for safe use of polycarbonate (PC) nursing bottles.

Polyethersulphone (PES) nursing bottle was introduced.

2002

Extensive research in breastfeeding

Based on extensive research in breastfeeding, a nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan) with a soft, elastic, flexible teat was introduced. These teats help babies open their mouths wide and support their natural tongue movement.

 

 

2003

Polyethersulphone (PES) nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan) was introduced. This lightweight bottle design allowed convenient portability.

2007

Polyphenylsulphone (PPSU) nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan) and teats in four sizes were introduced.

2010s

2010

A new version of our nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan), which was designed to minimise nipple confusion, helps baby to latch on for a smooth feeding experience.

To meet our aim of faithfully replicating the important movements that occur during attachment, sucking and swallowing, the bottle was redesigned with new materials.

2012

The P-type nursing bottle was redesigned with a focus on ease of use.

To accommodate the mouths of babies with cleft lip and cleft palate, the teat had a redesigned shape and was made with new material. In addition, the available sizes were increased to 2.

The bottle’s new material was soft, allowing it to be squeezed to support babies with weak sucking.

2013

New designs of our specially decorated nursing bottles (Bonyu-jikkan) were introduced.

Based on trends found from conducting customer surveys and analysis, three different designs for the decorative versions of our nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan) were added. Since then, the bottle’s designs have changed in accordance with current trends.

2017

A new nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan my Precious) was introduced.

The bottle was designed with a round shape that made it easy and comfortable to hold, and a previously compact 80ml size, which was designed to suit the amount newborns drink, was added.

It received the 2017 Good Design Award.

We also added a nursing bottle teat in size LL for parents who want to continue giving breastmilk to their babies for a long time, even after they have started eating baby food.

2018

A coated nursing bottle (Bonyu-jikkan Coating) was introduced.

The glass nursing bottle was developed with a silicon coating that gave it a new texture.

The thin silicone coating increased the safety of the glass bottle by reducing the possibility that glass shards would fly if the bottle broke.

2023

A new bottle material called “T-Ester” was introduced to our SofTouch™ line.

The bottle boasts excellent glass-like clarity for perfect visibility. It also has high UV resistance, making it ideal for UV sterilization.

Celebrates babies the way they are

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