Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it will launch a wholly owned U.S. unit in New Jersey in April to sell Kyorin products in the United States and import U.S. medicines to Japan.

Kyorin USA Inc. will be capitalized at $500,000 and will begin with a staff of five, Kyorin said in a statement.

Its main tasks will include assessing other firms' engineering skills and conducting research, analysis and negotiations over business licenses, the company said.

The new firm will also gather data on clinical tests on Kyorin products and investigate new therapies in conjunction with U.S. universities and medical institutions, it said.