ASTEM

What ASTEM does

ASTEM is a Japanese near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, operating as a privately held corporation under CEO Hikaru Suzuki. The company develops and manufactures portable, non-invasive measurement devices built around Spatial Resolved NIRS (SR-NIRS) technology originally developed in partnership with Shizuoka University, which enables near-absolute tissue oxygen saturation readings with a 2-3% error margin. Its product portfolio spans four categories: medical devices (toccare KN-15 finger oximeter, TOE-20 tissue oximeter, BROS brain oxygen monitor), wearable NIRS devices (Hb131S/Hb133/Hb134/Hb13-n brain activity monitors and the Oxy-Pro/Hb14-n tissue oximeters with Bluetooth-LE connectivity), agricultural instruments (Amaica-Pro and Amaica-Pro+ non-destructive sugar-content meters for fruit, 700-1,000 units/hour), and industrial quality-control systems (LC77R7/R8 collating inspection sensors and the R7 Server management platform for bookbinding lines).

The company's primary customers are Japanese research institutions, universities, and medical schools conducting neuroscience, sports medicine, and tissue oxygenation research, with secondary markets in agriculture (Japanese fruit growers measuring Brix without damaging produce) and industrial printing/publishing. ASTEM monetizes primarily through direct hardware sales of its NIRS and oximeter devices, supplemented by software licensing for Windows/iOS/Android data display and analysis programs, recurring maintenance contracts on agricultural meters (e.g., 24,750 yen/year for Amaica-Pro+), and short-term equipment rentals. The company sells predominantly direct via specialized website inquiry forms, with international distribution supported by CE (Europe), FCC (USA), and IC (Canada) wireless certifications, and a Korean distribution partner (JINIL S&P) for industrial sensors.

ASTEM's go-to-market relies heavily on academic and medical conference participation and sponsorships (Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine, Japanese Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, Medical Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Research Society, ISOTT 2023 Tokyo) as the primary demand-generation channel, supplemented by a product blog, downloadable manuals, and direct inquiry forms. The company holds ISO 13485:2016 medical device quality certification (April 2021), is actively operating with continuous product refreshes (Oxy-Pro 2020, Hb134 2020, TOE-20 2021) and ongoing conference presence through 2024-2025, and has no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or subsidiary structure.

Name

ASTEM

Legal name

株式会社アステム (Kabushiki Kaisha Astem)

Website

https://astem-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ASTEM is a Japanese near-infrared spectroscopy company founded in 1992 that develops portable, non-invasive brain activity monitors, tissue oximeters, agricultural sugar-content meters, and industrial collating sensors for research institutions, hospitals, sports medicine, agriculture, and printing customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Devices (NIRS-based Monitoring Equipment)

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray) (IMALAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Near-infrared spectroscopy
• Brain activity monitors
• Tissue oximetry devices
• Non-invasive medical devices
• Sugar content meters

Headquarters

HQ city

Kanagawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Sale of NIRS devices (Brain Activity Monitors Hb131S, Hb133, Hb134), Tissue Oximeters (TOE-20, Oxy-Pro), and collating inspection sensors. Products are sold directly with pricing provided upon inquiry.
2. Product Maintenance Services: Annual maintenance services for sugar meters and other equipment. New maintenance pricing: 24,750 yen (tax included). Lamp replacement: additional 15,400 yen.
3. Software Licensing: Supply of measurement display programs and data analysis software for Windows, Android, and iOS platforms supporting NIRS devices.
4. Rental Services: NIRS equipment rental service (Hb131, Hb13-n, Hb14-n) for short-term research needs. Rental service ending March 31, 2025 for sugar meters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ASTEM designs, manufactures, and sells portable non-invasive devices built on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology, including brain activity monitors, tissue oximeters, finger-mounted pulse oximeters, and non-destructive sugar content meters for fruits. The company also produces industrial incorrect-collating inspection sensors for bookbinding production lines. Products are sold directly to research institutions, hospitals, sports medicine practitioners, agricultural cooperatives, and printing companies, supplemented by annual maintenance services and equipment rentals.

Product overview

ASTEM offers a diversified product portfolio spanning medical devices, NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) equipment, agricultural instruments, and industrial sensors. The core medical device lineup includes toccare (KN-15) finger-mounted oximeter and TOE-20 tissue oximeter. The NIRS device family consists of brain activity monitors (Hb134, Hb133, Hb131S, Hb13-n) and muscle/tissue oximeters (Oxy-Pro, Hb14-n, Hb11) that measure oxygen saturation, oxygenated/deoxygenated hemoglobin using spatially resolved NIRS technology developed in collaboration with Shizuoka University. Agricultural products include Amaica-Pro and Amaica-Pro+ desktop sugar content meters for fruits. Industrial offerings comprise LC77R7/R8 incorrect collating inspection sensors and R7 Server management software for bookbinding quality control. The company emphasizes wireless Bluetooth-LE connectivity across its portable devices and provides dedicated software applications for Windows, iOS, and Android platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NIRS Astem: The company markets its near-infrared spectroscopy products under the NIRS branding, particularly in Japanese market communications.

Products and services

• toccare (KN-15) Examiner's finger-mounted pulse oximeter for measuring tissue oxygen saturation during examinations. A compact wearable medical device designed for healthcare practitioners conducting patient examinations.
• TOE-20 Tissue Oximeter Tissue Oximeter with three sensor probes for measuring Regional Saturation of Oxygen (rSO2) and Total Hemoglobin Index. Medical device for tissue oxygen monitoring in clinical and surgical settings.
• Oxy-Pro (Hb141) Portable tissue oximeter measuring oxygen saturation (StO2), oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb), deoxygenated hemoglobin (Deoxy-Hb), and total hemoglobin (T-Hb). Features Bluetooth-LE connectivity and works with smartphones, tablets, and Windows PC for real-time wireless monitoring.
• Hb134 Brain Activity Monitor Latest model Brain Activity Monitor (wearable brain NIRS) for non-invasive measurement of prefrontal cortex blood volume changes. Features real-time and data accumulation modes, 2-channel measurement, and Bluetooth-LE connectivity.
• Hb133 Brain Activity Monitor Brain Activity Monitor (wearable brain NIRS) for non-invasive prefrontal cortex blood volume measurement. Ultra-lightweight at 100g including batteries, with real-time PC display and CSV data export.
• Hb131S Brain Activity Monitor Brain Activity Monitor with sun visor design for prefrontal cortex blood volume measurement. 4-channel fixed measurement with Zigbee wireless protocol. Has wireless certifications for Japan, Taiwan, EU, USA, and Canada.
• Hb13-n Brain Activity Monitor Brain Activity Monitor with multi-channel probe support (up to 8 channels) for measuring deep layer (brain) and surface layer (skin) blood separately. Bluetooth-LE connectivity with 5m range.
• Hb14-n Multi-Channel Tissue Oximeter Multi-channel tissue oximeter using spatial resolved NIRS technology. Subcutaneous fat thickness calibration enables near-absolute value measurements. Up to 8 channels with Bluetooth-LE connectivity.
• Hb11 Exercise Load Monitor Exercise load monitor for muscle oxygen measurement during physical activity. Data accumulation type with USB upload capability after measurement. Priced at 200,000 yen + tax for the base unit.
• BROS Brain Oxygen Monitor Brain oxygen monitor for cerebral oxygenation monitoring.
• Amaica-Pro Sugar Content Meter Desktop non-destructive sugar content meter using near-infrared spectroscopy for fruits. Measures Japanese pears, peaches, mangoes, apples, tomatoes, persimmons, strawberries, grapes, and citrus fruits. Processing capacity: 700-1000 units per hour.
• Amaica-Pro+ Sugar Content Meter with Built-in Scale

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurement accuracy within 2-3% error margin vs traditional methods
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VaNN Company (ヴァンカンパニー)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for LC77 series collating inspection sensors and R7 Server management system. Located in Saitama Prefecture (3-15 Owarda 1-101, Niiza City, Saitama). Handles sales inquiries, installation support, and technical services for industrial customers. Contact: TEL 048-480-0400.
• Shizuoka UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for development of SR-NIRS technology. Shizuoka University developed the core spatial resolved NIRS measurement algorithm, which ASTEM commercialized into their NIRS product line (Hb13-n, Hb14-n, and related devices). Measurement accuracy validated against PET imaging at nuclear medicine department.
• Dr. Niwayama (庭山博士)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of the light measurement and fat thickness correction algorithms used in the Oxy-Pro tissue oximeter. Published paper on spatially resolved NIRS with selectable measurement depth in Sensors journal (doi:10.3390/s21165573).
• Dr. Kime (木目博士), Tokyo Medical University Health Promotion Sports Medicine DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical supervision and clinical expertise for Oxy-Pro product development, ensuring proper medical application guidance.
• JINIL S&P CO., LTD (Korea)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKorean distributor or partner for LC77R8 collating inspection sensor. Listed in product documentation as contact point for the sensor.
• Nihon University (日本大学) and Denso (デンソー)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint practical application project with Nihon University and Denso featured on Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) website as a case study of university-industry-government collaboration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic: Medtronic's INVOS (Somanetics) cerebral oximetry system is a tissue oximeter used in cardiac and vascular surgery, a direct clinical competitor to ASTEM's TOE-20 three-probe oximeter, but distributed through Medtronic's massive hospital sales force.
• Shimadzu Corporation: Shimadzu is a Japanese analytical instrument manufacturer with medical device and spectroscopy divisions; while not focused on NIRS brain monitoring, its analytical instruments and optical spectroscopy capabilities make it an adjacent incumbent in the Japanese measurement-science ecosystem.
• Masimo: Masimo is a global leader in non-invasive pulse oximetry and has expanded into cerebral/somatic oximetry (Root platform with O3) — overlapping with ASTEM's tissue oximetry line in surgical and ICU monitoring, though at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Hitachi (Medical Systems): Hitachi previously commercialized the ETG-4000 NIRS brain imaging system and remains a Japanese instrumentation incumbent; its broader medical imaging and analytical instrument portfolio positions it as an incumbent competitor for clinical-research NIRS procurements.
• Nonin Medical: Nonin is a US-based manufacturer of pulse oximeters and regional oximetry sensors; while primarily focused on conventional pulse oximetry rather than deep-tissue NIRS, it overlaps with ASTEM's finger-mounted toccare device in the patient-monitoring space.

Others

• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu Photonics supplies photodetectors, light sources, and near-infrared components used in NIRS systems, making it an enabling technology supplier rather than a direct competitor to ASTEM's finished devices.

Direct peers

• Artinis Medical Systems: Artinis is a Netherlands-based NIRS specialist producing portable brain and muscle oximetry devices (PortaLite, OxyMon, Brite) that compete head-to-head with ASTEM's Hb-series and Oxy-Pro in academic research and sports science labs. Both companies sell portable, multi-channel SR-NIRS systems to university and hospital researchers.
• NIRx Medical Technologies: NIRx is a Germany/USA-headquartered fNIRS company offering NIRSport and NIRScout systems for continuous-wave NIRS brain imaging, directly overlapping with ASTEM's Hb133/Hb134/Hb13-n brain activity monitors in the cognitive neuroscience and clinical research customer base.
• Spectratech: Spectratech is a Tokyo-based NIRS specialist producing wearable brain-function monitors that compete with ASTEM's Hb line in the Japanese academic market, sharing distribution channels, conference presence, and clinical research customers.
• ISS (Imaging Source Solutions): ISS manufactures the OxiplexTS, a frequency-domain NIRS tissue oximeter for muscle and brain oxygenation, making it a near-direct competitor to ASTEM's Hb14-n and Oxy-Pro multi-channel tissue oximeters in research and clinical applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/astem_jp
• Facebookfacebook.com/astem.NIRS
• Instagraminstagram.com/199210astem

Compliance1 record

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 ASTEM