History of Sagami

In 1964, that exciting year of the Tokyo Olympics, a pharmaceutical manufacturer asked Sagami to develop polyurethane (PU) gloves for surgeons. As that work was underway, one of our researchers wondered if polyurethane (PU) could be used in making condoms because of its high strength. The idea was put into a proposal and approved.

In 1965, Sagami began joint research with a polyurethane manufacturer. As natural latex was the most common choice in the industry at the time, the concept of polyurethane (PU) condoms was groundbreaking. Later, Sagami built a dedicated plant, developed the required manufacturing equipment, and obtained patents for the manufacturing methods. The trial production was run in 1977. However, as mass production would involve extremely high capital costs and the demand for condoms rose quickly with the increasing cases of AIDS and growing population, the business focus had shifted to mass production of natural rubber condoms instead. As a result, the project was put on hold between 1984 and 1990.

In 1991, Sagami decided to shine a light on this once-frozen project. Research resumed the next year and the fundamental manufacturing technology was developed successfully. The success came nearly 30 years after the project was first proposed. In 1996, our executive board approved an investment in the project—a production plant in Ipoh, Malaysia. The construction was completed in May of the next year.

On February 16, 1998, Sagami Original, condoms not made with rubber, was launched nationwide in Japan. The sales rocketed to the top of the market in just two weeks, ranking 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the condom chart of February.

Yet, the strong sales didn’t last long. On April 8, just a little more than 50 days after the product launch, microscopic holes were found among unshipped products in the plant. On April 9, Sagami decided to initiate a total product recall and held a televised press conference. All plant facilities and systems were inspected carefully and Sagami began preparing for the re-launch as tons of customers had shown interest in the product. “During the recall, we brought all hands on deck to answer phones, handle returns and refunds, and explain the situation to the authorities. We were all running around. The phones had been ringing day and night for two weeks and none of us had any time to think. Still, our way forward was clear—we needed to investigate the cause and establish a response—and that helped us get through what we knew was the most critical time,” said the staff in charge at the time.

After repeated examination of the production equipment and testing systems, the cause of microscopic holes was determined to be a momentary power failure. The plant in Malaysia had experienced a lightning storm and the power supply stopped for an instant during the production process, where defective condoms were able to slip through. Therefore, new independent power supply devices were installed to prevent power failure. Not only was the production equipment troubleshooting manuals updated, but a double-checking system was also adopted. The most renowned quality assurance company that served the British royal family was even invited to conduct a quality inspection. The whole preparation lasted 678 days. On February 16, 2000, Sagami Original was introduced to the market again.

Two months before the official re-launch, Sagami published an investigation report in the press, addressing the cause of the whole product recall and the follow-up actions taken. Nikkei News later presented the Nikkei Advertising Award to Sagami to honour our honesty. As Sagami Original had already set a record as a hit, expectations for the re-launch were high among distributors and retailers. Fortunately, customers also welcomed the product back. Shortly after the re-launch, Sagami Original returned to its No. 1 spot. In the same year, Sagami Original was also launched in France.

In February 2005, Sagami Original 0.02, the world’s first condom in the 20-micron range, was launched. It had reached the top in sales by volume within a month.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Sagami Original, Sagami launched Sagami Original 0.02 Premium with a thinness of 22 microns.

Sagami strived to make Sagami Original 0.02 even thinner and finally attained a thinness of 24 microns in 2011, securing its position of No. 1 condom brand.

Acknowledging consumers' constant pursuit for greater thinness, Sagami came up with Sagami Original 0.01, the first polyurethane (PU) condom in the 0.01mm range, in November 2013. The first batches were only sold in the Tokyo area. However, the feedback turned out to be much better than expected that the sales needed to be suspended temporarily by the end of May. In September 2014, Sagami Original 0.01 went on sale nationwide in Japan.

The video won the Bronze Prize in the film division at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2016 and the Silver Prize at Clio Awards 2016.

Since the release of Sagami Original 0.01 nationwide in Japan in September 2014, it has reached the highest sales among Sagami Original series. There were even supply shortages. Afterwards, Sagami received many requests from Japan and worldwide for making 0.01mm L-size condoms. We started developing and increased production capacity in 2018. In September 2022, Sagami Original 0.01 L-size was finally launched to cater to more users' needs.