Discrepancy in 'Puberulic Acid' Explanation Between Consumer Affairs Agency and MHLW; Kunsei Club Sends Formal Inquiry but MHLW Remains Silent Past Deadline

Kunsei Club Co., Ltd. (the "Company") has scrutinized administrative documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests regarding the red yeast rice issue and confirmed the following discrepancies in explanations between the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and the Consumer Affairs Agency.

■ Disclosure documents from the Consumer Affairs Agency (dated April 20, 2026) (Shoshokuki No. 187, Shoshokuhyo No. 319, Shōanzen No. 184):
It states that "the information regarding puberulic acid is derived from MHLW documents."

■ Disclosure documents from the MHLW (MHLW Hasseikensei 0422 No. 2, dated April 22, 2026):
It states that "there is no fact that [the MHLW] has announced puberulic acid as the causative agent."

■ Formal Inquiry by the Company:
Based on the above discrepancies, the Company submitted a written inquiry to the Food Monitoring and Safety Division of the MHLW regarding the following points:

- Clarification of the announcement and positioning of puberulic acid.
- The relationship with the explanation provided by the Consumer Affairs Agency.

The deadline for the response was set for May 20, 2026. As of now, past this deadline, no response from the MHLW has been confirmed.

■ Response Status from the Consumer Affairs Agency:
The Company has been informed by the Consumer Affairs Agency that they "plan to respond in the near future."

[Future Outlook]:
The Company will continue to verify the facts of this matter and release additional information as necessary. This press release is No. 64 in the series of information regarding the red yeast rice case that the Company has been continuously publishing.