Materials

Japan Rubber Weekly (JRW) recently conducted a questionnaire survey of manufacturers and dealers on the industry’s current state and outlook. The survey focused on Japan’s Kanto and Koshin’etsu regions. Sixty-three companies responded. When asked about the current status, 71.4 percent of respondents answered “normal,” 3.1 percent said “strong,” and 25.4 percent said “sluggish.” The reasons offered for the “strong” answers...

The Carbon Black Association of Japan will hold the 12th Carbon Black Asia Pacific Conference 2015 at the Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu in Yokohama, Japan from Nov. 4-6, 2015. Over 170 participants are expected to attend, including overseas visitors. This international conference will be attended primarily by carbon black manufacturers from the Asia-Pacific region. They will include among others feedstock...

According to figures compiled by The Rubber Trade Association of Japan, the import volume of natural rubber from January to June 2015 was 367,159 tons, an increase of 6.8 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. The import amount was 70.6 billion yen (approximately $500 million), a decrease of 12.1 percent compared to the same period of...