Microwave Chemical
Microwave Chemical is an Osaka University-born startup that provides a microwave process technology platform to transform the chemical industry.
Last updated September 16, 2026
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Overview
Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. is an Osaka University-born startup based in Suita, Osaka, with demonstration facilities in Suminoe-ku, Osaka. It provides a microwave process technology platform and aims to bring innovation to the chemical industry, which it says has seen no major innovation for over 100 years. The company was founded in 2007 by Iwao Yoshino and Yasunori Tsukahara, and in 2014 launched what it describes as the world's first large-scale microwave chemical plant, achieving product shipment from that plant. It collaborates with manufacturers and institutions in fields including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronic materials, and food.
History
Microwave Chemical was founded in 2007 by Iwao Yoshino and Yasunori Tsukahara. Yoshino, after graduating from university, joined Mitsui & Co. and worked in chemicals, then left the company to study for an MBA in the United States. After returning to Japan in 2006, a friend introduced him to Tsukahara, who was researching microwave chemistry at Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering. The two decided to transform the chemical industry, and in 2007 the company was established. It started from a single room in an apartment, with the founding members contributing 6 million yen of their own funds, supplemented by public subsidy programs. About one month after establishment, the company faced a crisis when a subsidy provider questioned where the research was being conducted; it later rented a laboratory within Osaka University. A year later, the Lehman Shock made fundraising difficult, and the company survived with support from venture capital and financial institutions. To commercialize microwave processes, scaling up equipment was essential; during development, a major problem occurred when microwaves would not pass through the equipment, which was later resolved. The business model initially involved producing and selling biodiesel from waste oil at customer factories, but the market did not develop as expected, leading to a change in direction. In 2014, the company launched what it describes as the world's first large-scale microwave chemical plant and achieved product shipment from that plant. It now collaborates with manufacturers and institutions in Japan and overseas in fields including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronic materials, and food.
Products and positioning
Provider of a microwave process technology platform aiming to innovate the chemical industry and contribute to carbon neutrality.
Recent events
Mitsui Chemicals and Microwave Chemical launch plastic-waste recycling project[5]
Reported:
Mitsui Chemicals and Microwave Chemical launched an initiative aimed at commercializing microwave technology for chemically recycling plastic waste, including automotive shredder residue and thermosetting sheet molding compound.
Sources5 sources
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