Domestic chemical manufacturers have begun to increase production in response to the shortage of urea water required to purify the exhaust gas of diesel vehicles.
There are concerns about the impact on logistics, but the country expects supply and demand to improve by the end of this month.
Urea water is used in devices that purify the exhaust gas of diesel vehicles, and some trucks will not start the engine if there is not enough.
However, in China, which relied on about 30% of the raw material urea, the inspection before export became strict in October last year, so urea water became scarce and it is still difficult to obtain in some cases.
Under these circumstances, domestic chemical manufacturers have begun to increase production, and manufacturers in Kawagoe Town, Mie Prefecture, are increasing the procurement of urea from countries other than China, such as Saudi Arabia, and continue to produce at full capacity.
The holidays were returned at the end of the year, and last month's shipments almost doubled compared to the same period last year.
There is concern that the shortage of urea water will affect logistics, but the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says that supply and demand are expected to improve by the end of this month due to increased production by domestic manufacturers.
Eiichi Ino, president of Opti, a manufacturer in Mie Prefecture, said, "I can't stop trucks and buses, so I'm trying to make up for the shortage of supply. I want you to avoid excessive hoarding. I'm talking.