Cover story
Faltering demand, rising costs and poor profitability are piling pressure on Japan's chemical sector. Now it faces tough decisions as the realities of cost-cutting, closures and restructuring come into play
Domestic demand for LCD televisions has been flat since an initial surge when Japan switched to digital broadcasting in 2011
Copyright: RexFeatures
With the exception of Shin-Etsu Chemical and a few others, chemical companies reported a significant decrease in profits for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 (April-June). There has been no sign of improvement in the second quarter (July-September), with the top five chemical companies reporting declines in both revenues and profits.
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