Explosion and Fire at Himeji Plant (#18)

NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD [Tokyo Stock Exchange – TOKSE: 4114.T] (“NIPPON SHOKUBAI”) is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from the accident at the Himeji Plant on September 29, 2012 and extends its sincere condolences to the family members. NIPPON SHOKUBAI extends its sincere apologies to the individuals who were injured by this accident and to the enormous problems this incident caused for the neighborhood of the plant and to other people associated with this incident.
NIPPON SHOKUBAI defines “Safety Pledge” as described below, and sets September 29 as “The Day of Safety Pledge”.
From 2:00 pm today, NIPPON SHOKUBAI hold the safety prayer ceremony in the Himeji Plant. At the ceremony, Mr. Masanori Ikeda, president of NIPPON SHOKUBAI, declared “Safety Pledge” in front of the monument of “Safety Pledge” we built this time.

Safety Pledge:
We stand firm in our resolve to never allow a tragic accident to occur again. True to our corporate credo, “Safety takes priority over production,” we take the lessons of the accident to heart, and hereby pledge that we remain united in our commitment to raising our safety performance.


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Summary of Message from the President
The accident occurred last year is a matter of extreme regret to us, especially given that our corporate mission statement is “Safety takes priority over production.” The Accident Investigation Committee investigated the causes, reported underlying problems it had identified and proposed preventive action. In response to its report and proposal as well as the instructions of the competent government authorities, we have been taking preventive measures and developing them laterally. We will ask outside experts to check if these measures are appropriately in place.
We stand firm in our resolve to never allow a tragic accident like the one that took place at Himeji Plant last year to occur again. True to our corporate mission statement, “Safety takes priority over production,” we take the lessons of the accident to heart, and hereby pledge that we remain united in our commitment to raising our safety performance.
In doing so, we will make our Company a safe manufacturer that earns greater trust from society.
The guidance and advice from the authorities, local community and other stakeholders is highly appreciated.
NIPPON SHOKUBAI


Contact
Investor & Public Relations Dept.,
NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
TEL: +81-3-3506-7477
E-mail: shokubai@n.shokubai.co.jp