Japanese lifestyle products manufacturer Iris Ohyama  has purchased a used diaper production line from Oji Nepia and will begin making baby diapers at the Fujifilm Manno Plant in Manno City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, during the first half of 2025. The company expects the production and sale of baby diapers to help grow its healthcare business to ¥30 billion yen in 2027 and to ¥40 billion by 2030.

The diapers will be sold through the Genki! baby diaper brand, which the company licensed from Prince Nepia late last year. Prince Nepia, a subsidiary of Prince Holdings ceased production and delivery of baby diapers within Japan in September 2024 after years of declining sales in the category.

According to Iris Ohyama, the Genki brand’s high visibility, combined with its sister company Alice Ouyama’s logistics and sales network, will help it capitalize on opportunities within the baby diaper market. Alice Ouyama started producing nonwoven masks in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has expanded its nonwoven product lineup by introducing antibacterial wipes and floor wipes in recent years.

In April, it was reported that Japan’s Oji Holdings would exit the domestic baby diaper business due to fewer births and decreasing demand in Japan. It plans to focus instead on adult diapers in Japan while expanding its baby diaper business in foreign markets such as Indonesia and Malaysia.