Nissan Chemical Corporation

Nissan Chemical Corporation is a Japanese chemical manufacturer whose roots extend to the establishment of Tokyo Jinzo Hiryo, or the Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company, in 1887. Founded by Jokichi Takamine, Eiichi Shibusawa, and Takashi Masuda, the company began as a fertilizer producer and opened its first plant in Koto, Tokyo. It started manufacturing superphosphate in 1888, responding to Japan's developing agricultural and industrial demand for chemical fertilizers. The business expanded and changed organizational form several times. In 1910 it adopted the name Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo, and in 1923 the companies Kanto Soda and Nippon Kagaku Hiryo were merged into the organization. The company also broadened its production base, beginning ammonia and ammonium sulfate manufacturing at a Toyama plant in 1928. In 1937 it entered the Nissan Group and subsequently became known as Nissan Chemical Industries. After the Second World War, the Nissan Group was dissolved as part of the Allied occupation's restructuring of Japan's large industrial groups. Nissan Chemical Industries nevertheless continued operating as an independent company. Over the following decades, its portfolio moved beyond traditional fertilizers and commodity chemicals toward higher-value products used in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and other advanced industrial applications. This transition has made the company less dependent on a single chemical category and positioned it as a diversified specialty and performance-materials supplier. The company's principal business areas are Chemicals, Performance Materials, Agricultural Materials, and Pharmaceuticals. Its performance-materials activities include materials used in liquid-crystal displays and semiconductor-related applications. SUNEVER is one of its liquid-crystal-material product lines. The agricultural-materials business develops crop-protection products, while the pharmaceutical-related business includes chemical and active-ingredient activities. Nissan Chemical is also associated with fluralaner, an antiparasitic active ingredient used in BRAVECTO, a veterinary medicine developed by MSD Animal Health. Nissan Chemical serves customers in Japan and international markets through products integrated into electronics manufacturing, agriculture, animal health, and pharmaceutical supply chains. The company is listed in Japan under ticker 4021.T and is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 stock index. On July 1, 2018, it changed its corporate name from Nissan Chemical Industries to Nissan Chemical Corporation, reflecting its modern corporate identity and broadening business portfolio. Its present positioning combines long-established chemical-manufacturing capabilities with research-driven materials, agricultural, and pharmaceutical businesses.

Nissan Chemical Corporation traces its origins to Tokyo Jinzo Hiryo, established in 1887 by chemist Jokichi Takamine, industrialist Eiichi Shibusawa, and businessman Takashi Masuda. Takamine served as the company's chief technical adviser. The venture was created during Japan's early industrialization, when chemical fertilizer was becoming important to agricultural productivity and national industrial development. Its first manufacturing plant was opened in Koto, and commercial production of superphosphate began in 1888. In 1910 the company was renamed Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo, or Dai Nippon Artificial Fertilizer Company. Its corporate base expanded further in 1923 when Kanto Soda and Nippon Kagaku Hiryo were merged under the Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo name. The company subsequently diversified its manufacturing capabilities. In 1928 it began producing ammonia and ammonium sulfate at a plant in Toyama, adding nitrogen-based products to its established fertilizer activities. The company became part of the Nissan Group in 1937 and adopted the name Nissan Chemical Industries. This affiliation connected it with one of Japan's major prewar industrial groupings. Following Japan's defeat in the Second World War, the Allied occupation authorities dissolved the Nissan Group and other zaibatsu structures. Nissan Chemical Industries survived this reorganization and continued its operations under its own name. Over the postwar period, the company developed beyond its original fertilizer-centered identity. Chemical manufacturing, research, and process expertise were applied to higher-value products for agriculture, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and industrial customers. Its later portfolio included performance materials for liquid-crystal displays and semiconductor applications, crop-protection products, and pharmaceutical-related compounds. These activities created a more diversified business model spanning Chemicals, Performance Materials, Agricultural Materials, and Pharmaceuticals. The performance-materials business includes the SUNEVER line of liquid-crystal materials and other materials used in advanced electronics manufacturing. The agricultural-materials business supplies crop-protection products, while the pharmaceutical-related portfolio includes active ingredients and chemical products for health-related applications. Fluralaner, an antiparasitic active ingredient used in BRAVECTO veterinary products developed by MSD Animal Health, is among the company's publicly associated pharmaceutical-related offerings. The company changed its corporate name from Nissan Chemical Industries to Nissan Chemical Corporation on July 1, 2018. The change established the name used by the current listed enterprise and better represented a business portfolio that extends beyond its historical fertilizer operations. Nissan Chemical remains headquartered in Tokyo, operates in Japan and international markets, and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 4021.T. It is also included in the Nikkei 225 stock index. Its historical development illustrates the progression of a Japanese fertilizer manufacturer into a diversified supplier of specialty chemicals, agricultural materials, electronic materials, and pharmaceutical-related products.

1. 2018Corporate name changes to Nissan Chemical Corporation

   On July 1, the company replaces Nissan Chemical Industries with Nissan Chemical Corporation as its corporate name.

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2. 1937The company joins the Nissan Group

   Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo becomes part of the Nissan Group and later operates under the Nissan Chemical Industries name.

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3. 1928Ammonia and ammonium sulfate production begins

   A Toyama plant begins manufacturing ammonia and ammonium sulfate, extending the company's nitrogen-chemicals production.

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4. 1923Corporate merger expands the business

   Kanto Soda and Nippon Kagaku Hiryo are merged into Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo.

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5. 1910The company becomes Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo

   The original company adopts the Dainippon Jinzo Hiryo name.

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6. 1888Superphosphate production begins

   The company starts producing superphosphate at its first plant in Koto, marking its entry into industrial fertilizer manufacturing.

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7. 1887Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company is founded

   Jokichi Takamine, Eiichi Shibusawa, and Takashi Masuda establish Tokyo Jinzo Hiryo, the company's original corporate predecessor.

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A diversified Japanese chemical manufacturer focused on specialty chemicals, performance materials, agricultural products, and pharmaceutical-related applications.

• SUNEVERLiquid-crystal materials

  SUNEVER is a Nissan Chemical product line for liquid-crystal materials. These materials are used in display-related manufacturing and form part of the company's Performance Materials business. The line represents the company's shift from historical fertilizer and commodity-chemical production toward specialized materials for electronics and other advanced industrial applications.

• Semiconductor materialsElectronic materials

  Nissan Chemical supplies materials for semiconductor-related manufacturing as part of its Performance Materials activities. These products support the processing and fabrication requirements of the electronics industry, where chemical purity, consistency, and specialized performance are important. Public reference material identifies semiconductor materials as one of the company's representative advanced-materials offerings.

• Agricultural materialsAgricultural chemicals

  Agricultural materials are one of Nissan Chemical's four principal business areas. The portfolio includes crop-protection products and related chemical technologies intended for agricultural use. The business builds on the company's original fertilizer heritage while focusing on more specialized agricultural applications.

• FluralanerPharmaceutical and animal-health active ingredient

  Fluralaner is an antiparasitic active ingredient associated with Nissan Chemical's pharmaceutical-related activities. It is used in BRAVECTO veterinary products developed by MSD Animal Health. The product illustrates the company's role as a chemical and active-ingredient supplier within an animal-health value chain rather than as the brand owner of the finished veterinary medicine.

• 2018Adoption of the Nissan Chemical Corporation nameStrategy

  The company had evolved from a fertilizer manufacturer into a diversified chemical enterprise with Chemicals, Performance Materials, Agricultural Materials, and Pharmaceuticals businesses.

  What changed. Effective July 1, 2018, the corporate name was changed from Nissan Chemical Industries to Nissan Chemical Corporation.

  Aftermath. The new name became the company's current corporate identity and reflected its broader portfolio of specialty, agricultural, electronic, and pharmaceutical-related chemicals.

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• 2018Nissan Chemical Industries changes corporate name to Nissan Chemical Corporation

  The company adopted the name Nissan Chemical Corporation on July 1, 2018, replacing Nissan Chemical Industries as its corporate name.

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1. Nissan Chemical Corporation