January 10, 2014
An explosion and fire occurred yesterday at Mitsubishi Materials' Yokkaichi Plant. The fire was extinguished moments later, but three employees of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and two employees of subcontractor died as a result of this accident.
We mourn the loss of these lives and offer our sincere condolences to the bereaved families. We also extend our sincerest apologies to the people who were injured, as well as members of the local community, related authorities, customers and shareholders for the resulting inconvenience.
Out of sincere consideration for the gravity of this accident and to ensure operational safety, we voluntarily decided to suspend the Yokkaichi Plant operation temporarily, effective today. Timing for the recommencement of operations remains to be determined and will be decided in consideration with the guidance from the relevant authorities.
At present, the impact of this accident on the Company's consolidated operating performance has not been determined.