PENTAX Medical Gains Focused Strength from HOYA Merger

Business Wire, March 19, 2008

HOYA Merger With PENTAX Brings Expanded Innovation and Financial Resources to One of the Medical Imaging Market Leaders

MONTVALE, N.J. -- PENTAX Medical Company, long one of the market leaders in the innovation and manufacture of medical imaging technologies for the GI, ENT and pulmonary medical fields, recently became part of the HOYA Corporation as HOYA and the PENTAX Corporation - the parent company of PENTAX Medical - entered into a long-anticipated merger agreement.

The merger, intent announced in December of 2006, was finally agreed to by both HOYA and PENTAX on October 29, 2007 and will become effective March 31, 2008. The PENTAX Corporation, including the PENTAX Medical division, will become a consolidated subsidiary of HOYA while maintaining the powerful brand of PENTAX (the entirety of the "Public Notice of Execution of Merger Agreement" can be viewed on the PENTAX corporate website at www.pentax.com).

In regard to PENTAX Medical, the merger with the financially powerful HOYA will allow for PENTAX Medical to even more aggressively expand resources in medical imaging technology innovations, develop a broader and more comprehensive range of products in the future, and an integral increased resource focus and management allocation to service initiatives.

"We are very excited about this merger and what it means to our loyal customers," said David Woods, President of PENTAX Medical. "Last year, the commitment to our customer-centric vision was clearly demonstrated with the launch of the most advanced suite of medical imaging equipment ever for the GI market. Imagine what that vision and innovation becomes for our customers with this expansion of resources and capabilities."

PENTAX Medical, started in 1979, has long held a reputation as an innovator of medical imaging technology. According to HOYA's CEO Hiroshi Suzuki, this fact is exactly why HOYA found PENTAX so attractive as a merger partner. "The medical field is essential (to HOYA growth). From this viewpoint, we found PENTAX, who boasts superior technologies related to medical equipment," stated Suzuki in a December 2006 press conference.

The plans for PENTAX Medical to be aggressive in development of new medical imaging technologies and service areas are clearly evident from the outset of the merger. The launch of the EPK-i Digital Image Processor (the first processor to include procedure-intelligent automation) and 90 i-FLEX scopes (the highest definition scopes on the market today) for the GI market is being expanded quickly to rave market reviews. While developing a low-invasive treatment technology the market is clamoring for is on the immediate horizon, further innovations to allow PENTAX to pioneer even newer technologies is the obvious mission going forward under the merger.

"We're not necessarily looking to compete with other medical imaging companies, but rather, our intent is to lead," stated Woods in reference to the impact of the merger.

About PENTAX Medical

Headquartered in Montvale, NJ, PENTAX Medical Company is a division of PENTAX Corporation, a consolidated subsidiary of HOYA Corporation. PENTAX Medical Company is an industry leader specializing in the development of video and fiber endoscopy equipment and computer technology/imaging products for diagnostic, therapeutic and research applications in the GI, ENT and Pulmonary medical fields. For more information on the company and its products, visit the company's website at www.pentaxmedical.com.

To schedule an interview or for further information, please contact Ann Marie Connolly-Garcia, PENTAX Medical Company Marketing Director, by email at annmarie.garcia@pentaxmedial.com or by telephone at 1-800-431-5880.