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Michelin Japan Launches New All-Season Tires from CrossClimate Series

Michelin Japan announced that it will begin rolling out two new all-season tires from October 1: the Michelin CrossClimate 3, designed to deliver stable driving performance regardless of the season, including heavy summer rains and sudden winter snowfalls, and the Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport, the first in the all-season category to feature sports performance. Both models will be sold at...

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Sumitomo Rubber Establishes Co-Creation Research Hub at Hokkaido University

In August, Sumitomo Rubber opened a new research hub, the Sumitomo Rubber Innovation Base Sapporo, within Hokkaido University’s Data-driven Research and Development Center for Emergent Systems (D-RED). At this hub, the company will promote research and practical applications of advanced technologies such as Physical AI, which makes autonomous decisions and actions in the real world. The initiative takes on the...

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Kuraray Reports Lower Sales and Profits in First Half

Kuraray announced results for the first half of fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Consolidated net sales came to 399.95 billion yen ($2.70 billion), down 2.7% year on year. Operating income fell 42.2% to 26.26 billion yen, ordinary income dropped 51.7% to ¥21.28 billion, and net income declined 53.9% to 14.04 billion yen. In segment performance, the isoprene business recorded...

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Japan Belting Industry Association Releases First-Half Sales Breakdown

The Japan Belting Industry Association recently announced the sales breakdown by end-use industry for conveyor belts and resin belts during the first half of 2025 (January–June). For conveyor belts, Japanese domestic sales accounted for 85.8% of the total on a value basis, down 7% year on year. Exports made up 14.2% of the total, but sales dropped sharply, down 59%...

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Odaka Rubber Sees Demand Potential from U.S. Steel Acquisition

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, Odaka Rubber Industries posted higher sales and profits compared with the previous year. Although sales of winding cores for film products were sluggish, sales of rolls for steelmaking—accounting for about 70% of total revenue—remained firm. The steady replacement of existing products with higher-value-added alternatives drove operating profit growth of roughly 15%. Despite...

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Top Interview: President Tomio Ueno of Bando Chemical

In an interview with Tomio Ueno, President of Bando Chemical, we discussed the company’s current business performance, the progress of its medium- to long-term management plan Creating New Value for the Future 1st Stage (CV-1), and the status of its overseas production bases. Regarding the situation overseas, Ueno explained that market conditions in Asia vary by country and timing. India,...

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