Okamoto reported a decline in both revenue and profit for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 (April–September 2025), as rising raw material prices, the strong yen, and sluggish demand in China put pressure on its performance. Consolidated net sales fell 2.9% from a year earlier to 52.90 billion yen ($340.74 million), while operating profit dropped...
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Yokohama Rubber Opens Chinese New Passenger Car Tire Plant
Yokohama Rubber held an opening ceremony on November 22 for its new passenger car tire plant in Hangzhou, China. The event was attended by numerous local officials and business partners, with President and COO Shinji Seimiya representing the company. The new facility is the first one-year plant launched under Yokohama Transformation 2026 (YX2026), the company’s mid-term management plan running from...
Flooding in South Asia: Minimal Impact on Japanese Rubber-Related Firms
The late-November floods that struck Southeast and South Asia have resulted in a major disaster, with the death toll exceeding 1,300. Amid the widespread damage, Japan Rubber Weekly surveyed Japanese rubber-related companies operating in the region. While some firms were temporarily forced to adjust production, most have since returned to normal operations, and overall damage appears to have been limited....
Sumitomo Rubber Accelerates Global Expansion of Dunlop Brand
Sumitomo Rubber is ramping up its global expansion of the Dunlop brand. The company, which acquired in January trademark rights for four-wheel tires in Europe, North America, and Oceania, has already begun deploying the Dunlop brand globally, with some regional and product exceptions. On December 3, it announced that it had obtained exclusive rights to use the Dunlop trademark, excluding...
Asahi Rubber Expects Higher Revenue and a Return to Profit
Asahi Rubber’s financial results for the first half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 (April–September 2025) show net sales of 3.89 billion yen ($24.95 million), a 5.2% increase year-on-year. Operating profit reached 122 million yen (compared with a 48-million-yen loss a year earlier), ordinary profit was 119 million yen (vs. a 57-million-yen loss), and net profit totaled 89...
Sumitomo Rubber Achieves Exponential Acceleration of Nonlinear Equation Computation Using Quantum Computers
Sumitomo Rubber has successfully achieved exponential acceleration in solving nonlinear equations using quantum computers, as a result of joint research with Quemix. This breakthrough was made possible by a newly developed method that enables fast and low-cost readout of quantum computation results, an advancement that significantly enhances the practicality of quantum computing. By further advancing their joint research, the companies...
