Hiyoshi

What Hiyoshi does

Hiyoshi is a privately held Japanese environmental services corporation founded in 1955 and headquartered in Omi-Hachiman City, Shiga Prefecture. The company operates four integrated service divisions: (1) analysis and testing (water quality, soil, air, dioxins, PFAS, food safety, eDNA/genetic analysis, and noise/vibration); (2) industrial chemicals (sodium hydroxide, flocculants, activated carbon, sulfuric acid, disinfectants, and boiler/cooling tower chemicals); (3) facility management (water/sewage plant operations, drainage facilities, environmental measurement equipment maintenance, and building management on a 24/7/365 basis); and (4) environmental conservation (sewer pipeline maintenance, dredging, civil engineering, and waste collection using a specialized fleet). The company holds 93 types of business licenses and approvals and deploys 260+ analytical instruments alongside 240+ specialized vehicles to deliver these services.

Hiyoshi's underlying technology stack combines laboratory instrumentation with proprietary biological and remote-sensing capabilities. Its core scientific differentiators include environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding analysis — developed in collaboration with Ryukoku University and applied to fish community studies in Lake Biwa — and a jointly developed algae (cyanobacteria) bloom monitoring system using high-resolution satellite imagery and multivariate analysis, for which a patent application has been filed alongside blue and tech Co., Ltd. The company also operates a CALUX®-based dioxin assay for chemical substance evaluation. These capabilities support both compliance-grade testing services and forward-looking ecological monitoring.

The business model is primarily enterprise sales-led, with direct field service delivery to municipal water/sewage operators, industrial manufacturers, and government institutions across the Kansai region. A secondary direct-to-consumer channel — the Hiyoshi Online Inspection Web portal — sells standardized water-quality and food-safety test kits (e.g., ¥123,750 for a 52-item water panel, ¥27,500 for DON mycotoxin testing) with promotional coupon campaigns to households and small businesses. Revenue is generated through a mix of usage-based testing fees, managed-services contracts for critical infrastructure, industrial chemical supply (delivered via proprietary tanker trucks from 15+ storage tanks), and professional-services environmental conservation work. The company has trained personnel from 53 countries and manages annual tap water supply capacity of 11,800万㎥ (118 million cubic meters).

Name

Hiyoshi

Legal name

株式会社日吉

Website

https://hiyoshi-es.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hiyoshi is a Japanese environmental services company providing analytical testing, industrial chemicals, water/sewage facility management, and environmental conservation services to municipalities, industrial clients, and households across the Kansai region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Testing & Facility Management Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Remediation Services (562910), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Groundwater Extraction, Treatment & Discharge (Pump-and-Treat, reinjection) (BPALAKAF), Industrial Sludge & Byproduct Management (BPALAHAG)

Keywords

• Environmental testing services
• Water quality analysis
• Industrial chemical supply
• Facility management services
• Environmental conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Omihachiman

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Analysis/Testing Services: Comprehensive environmental testing and analysis services including water quality, soil, air, dioxins, PFAS, food safety, and genetic analysis (eDNA). Provided to municipalities, industries, and general households through online portal and direct service.
2. Industrial Chemicals Supply: Supply of industrial chemicals including sodium hydroxide, flocculants, activated carbon, sulfuric acid, disinfectants, and boiler/cooling tower chemicals. Company maintains 9+ chemical types with 15+ storage tanks and operates proprietary tanker trucks for delivery.
3. Facility Management: Water treatment facility management, sewerage management, drainage facility management, environmental measurement equipment maintenance, and building management services. 24-hour, 365-day operations for municipal and industrial infrastructure.
4. Environmental Conservation: Sewer pipe maintenance, cleaning/dredging, civil engineering works, and waste collection/transport services using 120+ specialized vehicles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hiyoshi is a Japanese environmental services company that delivers integrated solutions across four main divisions: (1) analysis and testing (water, soil, air, dioxins, PFAS, food safety, and environmental DNA), (2) industrial chemical supply (sodium hydroxide, flocculants, activated carbon, etc.) with proprietary delivery fleet, (3) facility management (water/sewage treatment, environmental measurement equipment, building management) operated 24/7/365, and (4) environmental conservation (sewer maintenance, dredging, civil engineering, waste collection).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Analysis & Testing Services Comprehensive environmental testing and analysis services covering water quality, soil, air, dioxins, PFAS, food safety, and genetic (eDNA) analysis. Provided to municipalities, industrial plants, and general households through the online inspection portal and direct service channels.
• Industrial Chemicals Supply Supply of industrial chemicals including sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), polymer and aluminum-based flocculants, activated carbon, sulfuric acid, slaked lime, sodium hypochlorite disinfectant, urea solution, hydrochloric acid, freezing prevention agents (sodium chloride, calcium chloride), boiler/cooling tower chemicals, and chelating agents. Includes chemicals contracting (薬品請負) service for full management of customer chemical operations.
• Water & Wastewater Facility Management Operating management of water treatment and sewage treatment facilities, septic tank and agricultural community drainage facility management, factory wastewater treatment facility management, water storage tank management, and waste treatment facility management. Environmental measurement equipment maintenance management and building comprehensive management (building maintenance) services.
• Environmental Conservation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 71 years of continuous operation serving environmental infrastructure needs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• blue and tech Co., Ltd. (ブルー アンド テック株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of proprietary algae bloom monitoring system using satellite imagery and multivariate analysis. The system observes lake surfaces every 5 days to create algae maps and predict bloom conditions. Patent application filed jointly.
• Ryukoku University (龍谷大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on environmental DNA analysis for fish community assessment in Lake Biwa's southern lake area. Collaborative findings published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Ichthyological Research' showing recovery of native fish species.
• Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (インド工科大学ハイデラバード校)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity visit for environmental urban infrastructure learning, part of international academic exchange program.
• Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint university visit with IIT Hyderabad for environmental infrastructure study tour.
• Ritsumeikan University (立命館大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-research on water quality analysis and algae bloom prediction in Lake Biwa's Nishi-no-ko (西の湖). Joint presentation at the 60th Japan Society on Water Environment Annual Conference.
• Shiga Prefectural Fisheries Experiment Station (滋賀県水産試験場)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of joint research group on Lake Biwa fish communities using environmental DNA analysis, along with Ryukoku University and Lake Biwa Museum.
• Lake Biwa Museum (滋賀県立琵琶湖博物館)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Lake Biwa environmental research including fish community studies using environmental DNA analysis.
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (文部科学省)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor support for Tobitate! Study Abroad JAPAN Alliance project 'Future Planning! Shiga Overseas Study Support Program' as part of global talent development initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Shimadzu Corporation: Japanese analytical instrument manufacturer whose equipment (mass spectrometers, chromatographs) is used in Hiyoshi's 260-instrument analytical base. Adjacent rather than directly competing — Shimadzu supplies the tools Hiyoshi uses for testing services, making it a key enabler/supplier in the value chain.

Broad incumbents

• ALS Limited (ALS Japan): Global testing services group with Japanese operations covering environmental, food, and water quality testing. Comparable to Hiyoshi's analysis/inspection business but operates at international scale with broader geographic reach and standardized lab networks.
• Organo Corporation: Established Japanese water and wastewater treatment plant engineering and services provider. Overlaps with Hiyoshi's facility management and environmental conservation business lines, but Organo focuses on large-scale plant construction and ultrapure water for semiconductors rather than regional municipal services.
• SGS Japan: Global inspection, verification, testing and certification company with significant Japanese environmental testing operations. Comparable in water quality, soil, and food safety testing capabilities, but operates as part of a multinational TIC conglomerate rather than a regional Japanese specialist.
• Bureau Veritas Japan: International testing, inspection and certification (TIC) provider with environmental and laboratory testing services in Japan. Comparable in water quality, soil, and environmental analysis offerings but as part of a global TIC portfolio rather than a regional specialist focus.
• Kurita Water Industries: Major Japanese water treatment chemicals and facility management company. Directly comparable in industrial chemicals supply (flocculants, caustic soda, boiler chemicals) and water/sewage facility operations, but operates at much larger national and global scale with broader industrial focus beyond Hiyoshi's regional niche.
• Eurofins Japan: Subsidiary of global Eurofins Scientific, providing environmental testing services including water quality, soil, and dioxin analysis. Directly competes with Hiyoshi's analysis/inspection division but operates at much greater scale across Japan and globally with broader testing portfolio.

Emerging players

• IDEXX Laboratories (Japan operations): Global water microbiology testing company with Japanese distribution. Overlaps with Hiyoshi's Legionella and water quality testing services, but IDEXX focuses specifically on microbiological testing products rather than comprehensive environmental analysis.

Direct peers

• Nippon Suido Consultants Co., Ltd. Japanese water and wastewater engineering consultancy offering facility management, environmental analysis, and water treatment services. Closest direct peer to Hiyoshi in combining facility management with environmental testing, though with greater focus on consulting and design-build services.

Regional players

• Shiga Prefecture Water Supply Authority equivalents (e.g., local water utility contractors): Regional water and sewage contractors serving Japanese prefectures similar to Hiyoshi's Shiga-based operations. Direct competitors for municipal facility management contracts but typically confined to single-prefecture service areas with comparable scale and capability profiles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Hiyoshi.japan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hiyoshi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hiyoshi