Open Letter Demanding Disclosure of Evidence of Puberulic Acid in Red Yeast Rice, and Full Disclosure of Puberulic Acid Identification Basis Documents – Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Osaka City Public Health Center Fail to Respond After Deadline

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Red Yeast Rice Incident, No. 82

Open Letter Demanding Disclosure of Evidence of Puberulic Acid in Red Yeast Rice

and Open Letter Demanding Full Disclosure of Puberulic Acid Identification Basis Documents

– Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Osaka City Public Health Center Fail to Respond After Deadline –

Kunsei Club Co., Ltd. (located in Hayashima-cho, Tsukubo-gun, Okayama Prefecture; Representative Director and Pharmacist Masaaki Mori) sent an open letter dated May 29, 2026 (Press Release No. 77, hereinafter 'the Letter') to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Food Safety and Inspection Division, the Osaka City Public Health Center, and the National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), requesting written responses by a set deadline. As of June 7, 2026, no responses have been confirmed from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare or the Osaka City Public Health Center. The response deadline for NIHS is June 12, 2026.

Contents of the Letter (No. 77)

On May 29, 2026, the company formally requested written responses on the following two points:

● ① Disclosure of scientific evidence documents held by administrative agencies showing that 'Beni-Koji CholesteHelp' and the target red yeast rice contained puberulic acid

● ② Full disclosure of puberulic acid identification basis documents in a form that allows independent verification by scientists worldwide

Response Status

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Food Safety and Inspection Division: No response (as of June 7, 2026)

Osaka City Public Health Center: No response (as of June 7, 2026)

National Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS): Response deadline June 12, 2026 (awaiting response)

Background

Since the red yeast rice supplement issue in 2024, the company has repeatedly filed information disclosure requests with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, NIHS, the Osaka City Public Health Center, and others. After reviewing the documents disclosed to date, the following facts have been confirmed:

- The only materials identified regarding the identification of 'puberulic acid' are those reportedly identified by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical

- No documents showing that administrative agencies (MHLW, NIHS, Osaka City Public Health Center) independently and scientifically identified the substance have been confirmed in the disclosed documents

- No direct scientific evidence showing that 'Beni-Koji CholesteHelp' and the target red yeast rice contained puberulic acid has been confirmed in the disclosed documents

- On the contrary, descriptions suggesting the possibility that the target products and red yeast rice did not contain puberulic acid exist in the disclosed documents

[Company Overview]

Company Name: Kunsei Club Co., Ltd.

Location: 611-1 Maegata, Hayashima-cho, Tsukubo-gun, Okayama Prefecture

Representative: Representative Director and Pharmacist Masaaki Mori

Business: Food manufacturing and sales

Red yeast rice related information: https://kunsei.com/archives/category/benikoji