Production of automobile tires and tire tubes for the first half of 2016 suffered a year-on-year drop of 6.6 percent, to a total of 500,481 tons, according to records compiled by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA). Apart from a year-on-year increase of 7.3 percent in the production of industrial vehicle tires, production volumes fell year-on-year for all tire...
Market Background
Carbon Black Shipments Down 3.3% for June, 4.6% for First Half
The shipment volume of carbon black for June fell 3.3 percent year on year, down at 49,414 tons, according to records compiled by the Japanese Carbon Black Association. This marked the seventh consecutive month of decline from the previous year’s results. Shipments of carbon black for rubber products were down 5.7 percent for tires, while that for general rubber products...
Resin Belts Show 4% Increase in Production and Shipments for January–June
According to statistics recently collated by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association, the production volume of resin belts for the first half of the year was 514,892 square meters, a 4 percent increase over that for the same period last year. By unit type, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) belts rose 1 percent and polyurethane belts were up 6 percent, with all other...
Rubber Belt Production Down 10% for January–June
According to statistics recently collated by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association, production volume of rubber belts for January–June 2016 has fallen 10 percent year on year, down at 13,201 tons. Shipment value was similarly down, with close to a double-digit fall for an estimated 32 billion yen ($314.015 million). This was influenced by lowered demand domestically and overseas for conveyor...

Seiji Ozawa Conducts Lanxess-sponsored Classical Music Concert in Tokyo
The Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy Okushiga (OICMA), directed by Seiji Ozawa and established with a founding grant and ongoing sponsorship from Lanxess KK, performed a concert on Aug. 1 at Hakuju Hall in Tokyo’s Shibuya-ku Ward. Established in 2011, OICMA’s mission is to train numerous stringed instrument performing artists by developing the talents of especially gifted young musicians from...
JRW Survey: Human Resources, Globalization Top Business Challenges for Rubber Manufacturers
In a recent Japan Rubber Weekly survey, a majority of management executives from 171 manufacturers of tires, industrial rubber and resin products expressed pessimism about the economic recovery (read related article here). Asked specifically about what business problems were cause for concern, executives primarily pointed to (1) rapid exchange-rate movements, coming on 55.5 percent of the responses; (2) economic trends,...