The company's roots go back to Kyowa Kagaku Kenkyusho, founded in 1937 with the joint investment of Takara Shuzo, Godo Shusei and Daisake Brewery.

With more than 70 years of history, the company has been present in 43 markets around the world with 21 branches and nearly 6,000 employees.

The company's milestones:

- In 1949: Establishment of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. as a secondary company of Kyowa Sangyo Co., Ltd, as part of industrial readjustment plans.

- In 1951: Introduced production technology of Streptomycin, an anti-tubercular drug, from US pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. and succeeded in its mass production.

- In 1956:

Success of isolation and commercially mass-production of the anticancer drug, Mitomycin C.

Invention of the process of L-glutamic acid production by fermentation (a world first).

- In 1963: Release of Mitomycin C, an anticancer drug, and Spiramycin, an antibiotic drug.

- In 1967: Release of 5-FU, an anticancer drug.

- In 1971: Release of Leunase, an anticancer drug.

- In 1988:  Supported the establishment in the U.S.A. of the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LIAI).

- In 1990: Release of ESPO, an erythropoietin (EPO) drug.

- In 1991: Release of Coniel, a remedy for hypertension and agina pectoris.

- In 2003: Establishment of BioWa, Inc. in the United States to promote Kyowa Hakko's therapeutic antibody business.

- In 2007: Release of NESP, a long-acting erythropoietic stimulating drug. Established COMPLEGENT, a novel antibody engineering technology that enhances the efficacy of antibodies.

- In 2008:

Release of REGPARA, a drug for secondary hyperparathyroidism..

Kyowa Hakko Kirin was formed through the merger of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo and Kirin Pharma.

- In 2011: Acquired ProStrakan Group plc.

- In 2012: Launch of Poteligeo in Japan, a Therapeutic Antibody for Adult T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma (ATL).

- In 2013: Launch of NOURIAST tablets 20 mg in Japan, a novel antiparkinsonian agent.

- In 2016: Launch of LUMICEF for Psoriasis Treatment in Japan..

- In 2018: Crysvita approved in the US and Europe, sales to start as a treatment for patients with X-linked hypophosphatemia.

- In 2019: Trade name changed to current "Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd." from Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd.

- In 2022: Q-TOWER, the new biopharmaceutical analysis facility completed at Takasaki Plant, Kyowa Kirin's major biopharmaceutical manufacturing site.

According to kyowakirin.com, ja.wikipedia.org