Sumitomo Rubber has become the first company to use resource-circulating carbon black, made from chemical recycling of used tires and other rubber materials, in some of its mass-produced passenger car tires. Production of these tires has begun at the Miyazaki plant in November 2025, accelerating the company’s efforts toward resource circulation. Resource-circulating carbon black is produced through the chemical recycling...
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METI Revises Eco-Car Subsidy in Line with US-Japan Tariff Agreement
The Eco-Car Subsidy is set for a revision. According to an announcement made by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) on December 18, 2025, the subsidy cap for electric vehicles (EVs) will be raised by 400,000 yen, bringing it to 1.3 million yen ($8,300). Meanwhile, the subsidy for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will be reduced by ¥1.05 million...
Yokohama Rubber Launches Tire Solutions Service for Taxi Operators
Yokohama Rubber and its group company, Okinawa Yokohama Tire, have announced the launch of a tire solutions service for taxi fleets in collaboration with the Okinawa East Traffic Business Cooperative Association. This service began in mid-December 2025 and integrates air pressure sensors with the next-generation tire management system, “T.M.S.” The service aims to enhance safe operation, reduce tire-related costs and...
Power Transmission Belts See Strong Sales in 2025: Gates Unitta Asia
Gates Unitta Asia expects higher sales in its Japanese domestic general industrial belt business for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. By market, sales to semiconductor manufacturing equipment, its largest customer segment, increased on a full-year basis, although demand has recently shown signs of weakening. “In the first half, performance was strong as we produced and shipped orders received...
Fujikura Composites Posts Record-HighProfits
Fujikura Composites reported record-high operating and ordinary profits for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, supported by a recovery in industrial materials and a favorable product mix. For the April–September period, net sales increased 2.9% year-on-year to 20.23 billion yen ($130.68 million). Operating profit rose 19.3% to 2.68 billion yen, while ordinary profit climbed 15.2%...
Bridgestone and AIST Develop Technology to Chemically Recycle Used Tires
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced that a research team led by Senior Researcher Yoshihiro Ueda, in collaboration with Bridgestone, has developed a chemical recycling technology for tire rubber. By combining chemical decomposition at near room temperature with a subsequent thermal decomposition process, the team successfully recovered isoprene and carbon black. The technology paves the...
