No independent clinic should face it alone. VetFamily is now in Japan.

VetFamily has always been built on a simple belief: that independent veterinary clinics deserve the same advantages as the large corporate groups they increasingly compete with. That belief has now taken us to Japan.

As of 2026, VetFamily is active across Europe, the Americas, Australia, and now Asia. Japan is our first Asian market, and it marks a significant moment in our journey as a truly global network for independent veterinary clinics.

Why Japan, and why now

Japan is one of the world's largest veterinary markets, with a high share of independent clinics, and those clinics are facing pressures that will feel familiar to anyone in our network. Corporate consolidation is accelerating, with fund-backed groups acquiring and rolling up clinics into multi-site chains. The gap between large groups and independent clinics is widening: in their ability to hire staff, to invest in advanced equipment, and to compete on purchasing terms. On top of that, succession is a growing crisis, many clinics have no one to take over, and a growing number are closing rather than continuing.

Before entering the market, VetFamily spent time listening. In 2024, we interviewed 120 independent veterinary clinics across Japan to understand their everyday challenges from the ground up. What we found confirmed what we have seen across every market we have entered: the needs of independent clinics are more universal than they are local. Purchasing scale, business know-how, and a community of peers who understand what it means to run an independent practice — these matter in Japan exactly as they do in Norway, Germany, Australia, and Brazil. That gave us confidence that what VetFamily has built over more than two decades is something Japanese clinics genuinely need.

Linn Hultberg, Business Development Director at VetFamily, describes the approach as a combination of global knowledge and local presence. The model that has worked across VetFamily's existing markets, a global organisation with deep partner relationships and resources, combined with a team on the ground in the local market from day one, is exactly what VetFamily is bringing to Japan.

On the ground in Japan

Leading VetFamily Japan is Keiichiro Yoshimoto (Kei), a seasoned business development professional with years of experience building new ventures in the animal health industry, both in Japan and internationally. It was the novelty of VetFamily's model, and the scale of the challenge, that drew him to the role.

"When I first heard about VetFamily's business model, I was struck that it was something entirely new to the Japanese market," says Kei. "That, combined with how closely it matched my own career direction, is what led me to join VetFamily."

Kei is clear-eyed about what Japanese clinic owners are up against, and equally clear about what they need.

"What clinic owners need most is purchasing scale on things like medicines and food, practical know-how on management and digitalisation, and a community of peers they can turn to instead of facing these issues alone," he says. "Being part of VetFamily means living out our philosophy directly: staying independent, while growing stronger together."

His ambition for the years ahead reflects the spirit that has always sat at the heart of VetFamily.

"Japan is being swept up in a major wave of consolidation. That's a necessary part of the industry's development, but independent clinics that have long served their local communities matter just as much. I want VetFamily to act as a catalyst, bringing independent clinics loosely together so they can grow stronger as a collective force."

What this means for the VetFamily community

Japan's launch is not just a milestone for the Japanese market. It is a signal of where VetFamily is headed. Every market we enter strengthens the network for everyone in it — more clinics, more negotiating power, more shared knowledge, more proof that independent practices everywhere can thrive without giving up what makes them theirs.

To the 12,000 clinics already in the VetFamily family: Japan is joining you. And to the independent clinic owners across Japan who are about to discover what it means to be part of something bigger: welcome.