Domestic production facilities for ethylene, raw material for plastic products, etc. to be shut down for the first time in about 10 years.
Domestic manufacturers are being forced to rationalize due to increased production in China. Mitsui Chemicals and Idemitsu Kosan have begun considering shutting down one of the two ethylene production facilities they jointly operate at a complex in Chiba Prefecture. According to the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association, domestic production last year was at its lowest level in about 30 years.