The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently made its first forecast for the size of Japan’s domestic health care industry in 2025. Having analyzed the industry by looking...
METI
METI Draws up Action Plan for Materials Field in Connected Industries Initiative
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has formulated an action plan for the field of materials in its Connected Industries initiative. As a policy concept on next-generation...
CMI Targets Further Improvements to Aircraft Manufacturing Technology
The Consortium for Manufacturing Innovation (CMI) is eyeing new efforts to improve technology for aircraft manufacturing as it approaches its second five-year period of activity, set to start this April....
METI Plans Policies to Promote Offshore Wind Power
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has compiled a set of policies to encourage the establishment and spread of offshore wind power systems. In order to bring Japan’s...
METI Launches Study Group on Boosting Oil Industry Competitiveness
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) recently held the first meeting of a panel of experts convened to study the competitiveness of the oil industry. Two central topics...
Japanese Demand for Petrochemical Products Rises for First Time in Three Years
According to ethylene conversion figures for 2017, Japanese domestic demand for petrochemical products showed a year-on-year increase of 5 percent to 5.06 million tons. This marks the first increase in...
METI Considers New Labeling System for Bioplastics
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is looking into the establishment of a new labeling system for bioplastics. The system under consideration is aimed at products with low-CO2...
METI to Encourage Companies to Invest in Energy Efficiency
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has begun a review of the energy efficiency standards for plants and other facilities. The government has set the target of a...
Japan’s Ethylene Production for November Surpasses 560,000 Tons
Ethylene production for November saw a year-on-year increase of 0.7 percent, rising to 561,600 tons, according to data collated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries...
Japanese Government to Work Toward New Biofuel Targets
Japan’s policy to increase the adoption of biofuels is at a crossroads, with the country’s current bioethanol utilization target for oil refiners – established in the Act on Sophisticated Methods...
Japanese Naphtha Sees Low Base Price in July–September
Japanese naphtha recently saw a continued drop in value, with the benchmark price of domestic naphtha at 36,100 yen ($316.46) per kiloliter for the July–September period. This is a reduction...
Ethylene Plant Utilization Rates Surpass 95% in September
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries Division announced on Oct. 16 that ethylene production for September was 534,400 tons, a year-on-year increase of 13.7 percent. Ethylene...
Ethylene Production Favorable in August, Up 10.9% From Last Year
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries Division, ethylene production for August totaled at 562,000 tons for a year-on-year increase of 10.9...
METI Steps up Effort to Develop Solid-State LiB for Vehicles
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is working to accelerate development of basic technology for batteries to power the next generation of automobiles. The ministry hopes to promote...
METI Conducts Study Into Effective Means of Collaboration Between Material Sector Startups and Trust Companies
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has drawn up the challenges faced in scaling up the promising technologies of venture companies and small–medium enterprises (SMEs) within the materials...
Japan’s Ethylene Sector Records Second Best Year to Date in Ordinary Profit
Fiscal 2016 was a good year for Japanese ethylene. According to data compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries Division, the ethylene businesses of 10...
Nippon Paper Aims to Mass-Produce World’s First CNF-Reinforced Automotive Resins
Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd. (TYO:3863) is moving forward with plans to commercialize resins reinforced with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) for automotive applications. The firm has invested a total of 300...
METI Estimates Global Supply and Demand Trends for Petrochemical Products
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has compiled predictions for petrochemical product supply and demand until 2021. According to these predictions, global ethylene production will exceed 200 million...
METI to Encourage Data Integration to Create Smart Supply Chains
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will accelerate efforts to formulate policies encouraging factories and companies to link each other’s data so as to utilize it throughout entire...
Japanese Government Relaxes Regulations on New Chemical Substances
Japan’s House of Representatives passed and enacted a new amendment bill at a May 30 plenary session for the Act on the Evaluation of Chemical Substances and Regulation of Their...
