Amid the neon lights, giant screens, and pedestrian frenzy of Shibuya, Tokyo welcomed an unlikely visitor: Dr. Simi. Among futuristic stores and Japanese crowds Mexico’s most famous smile appeared, turned into an international phenomenon thanks to the vision of Víctor González Herrera, one of the country’s most influential young businessmen.
The CEO of Farmacias Similares, executive president of Grupo Por Un País Mejor and the Dr. Simi Foundation, brought the first Dr. Simi pop-up store to Asia, a move as unexpected as it was symbolic: placing a popular Mexican icon in one of the most powerful cultural capitals in the world.
Son of businessman Víctor González Torres, founder of Farmacias Similares, González Herrera represents the new generation leading a corporate group that combines business operations, social assistance, and environmental causes. Under his leadership, he has promoted a more global, youthful, and socially active image of the conglomerate.
Grupo Por Un País Mejor includes brands such as Farmacias Similares, pharmaceutical laboratories, charitable foundations, and community programs focused on accessible healthcare, humanitarian support, social inclusion, and sustainability. Its philanthropic arm, the Dr. Simi Foundation, develops medical aid campaigns, distributes assistance, and supports vulnerable sectors in Mexico.
The Mexican Embassy in Japan welcomed the opening as news that strengthens ties between both countries. Ambassador Melba María Pría Olavarrieta publicly recognized the initiative and wished success to the project.
“We are very proud of Dr. Simi and of the success it will have in Japan. These are the initiatives we seek to replicate, and the arrival of such a successful Mexican company is always great news for Mexico,” she said.
The store, open for a limited time in Tokyo, offers exclusive products that blend Japanese aesthetics with Mexican humor, from Simi Samurai plush toys to Simi Karateka versions, in addition to immersive experiences about the character’s history.
But behind the colorful storefront lies a deeper idea. González Herrera explained that the store was not designed to maximize profits, since its setup alone cost more than one million dollars and the expected recovery is minimal.
“For us it is a mystical business that reflects the fusion and union of two cultures, the Japanese and the Mexican, through kindness,” he said.
In a business world dominated by balance sheets and profits, the phrase defines his style: turning cultural identity into a social asset.
Dr. Simi’s global rise was not born in corporate boardrooms, but in the streets. For years, Mexican fans began throwing plush dolls of the character to international artists at concerts. What started as a spontaneous gesture ended up turning him into a pop symbol seen in the hands of singers, bands, and celebrities around the planet.
Thus, a figure created to represent affordable medicine ended up mingling with global stars and landing in Tokyo.
However, Víctor González Herrera’s international projection is not limited to marketing. In 2024, González Herrera, together with his family, was brought into UNICEF’s International Council, becoming one of the few Latin Americans within that global network of philanthropists.
As part of that alliance, the Dr. Simi Foundation and UNICEF Mexico promoted programs to improve access to water, hygiene, and sanitation in schools in Nuevo León, an urgent need in school communities with basic shortages.
UNICEF’s representative in Mexico, Fernando Carrera Castro, then highlighted that supporting health also strengthens education and expands opportunities for girls and boys.
The businessman’s influence was also recognized this year by the Mexico City Congress, which awarded him the Tourism Merit Medal “Tourism Ambassador of Mexico City 2026,” for promoting projects such as SimiFest, a cause-driven festival that combines entertainment and reforestation.
“What we always seek is to integrate the population, the people, to help each other help others,” González Herrera said upon receiving the distinction.
From a neighborhood pharmacy in Mexico to the heart of Tokyo, Dr. Simi smiles beneath Japanese lights. Behind that smile stands a businessman who understood that exporting a symbol can also be a way of exporting optimism
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