January 9, 2014
In the afternoon of January 9th, an explosion and fire occurred at our Yokkaichi Plant. Fire was extinguished soon after, but five people died and another 12 were injured in the accident; those people included both subcontractors and our own employees. We offer our profound apologies for this disaster.
We mourn the loss of these lives and offer our sincerest condolences to the bereaved families as well as our earnest prayers for the recovery of those who were hurt in the accident. We also extend our sincerest apologies to community residents and other related parties for their significant inconvenience.
At present time, the cause of the accident is not known and, therefore, we are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities on the investigation and will implement appropriate measures in line with authorities' instructions.
The influence of the accident to customers is unclear at present. We will provide information with our stakeholders as soon as it becomes available.
Currently available information as of January 9th is as follows;