Demand for Online Doctors Creates $39 Billion Titan in Japan

  • M3 shares almost doubled this year, creating new billionaire
  • Sales have surged, with inquiries skyrocketing amid Covid-19

Photographer: Yoshiyoshi Hirokawa/Digital Vision via Getty Images

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Two decades ago, Itaru Tanimura ended a 12-year run at McKinsey & Co. to lead M3 Inc., an online provider of medical information and services backed by entertainment giant Sony Corp.

What followed was a flurry of acquisitions that turned the Tokyo-based company into a $39 billion global behemoth. M3 now has about 40 subsidiaries and affiliates, including MDLinx Inc. in the U.S. and Britain’s Doctors.net.uk Ltd.