Japanese petrochemical production higher in first half 1997

August 28, 1997 According to Japan Petrochemical Industry Association, ethylene production in June came to 604,100 tons, down 2.9 % from the previous month, but up 10 %, or 55,000 tons, year-on-year. Cumulative production for the January-June period also grew by 5.9 % over the same period of the previous year to 3,699,000 tons. This reflected firm domestic demand for various types of derivatives, and expanding exports, mainly to Asia.
Production of 17 main petrochemical products, including ethylene, in the January-June period all exceeded the levels of the same period of the previous year.
Production of polyolefin and polystyrene (PS) recorded a year-on-year growth for the first time in 5 months, since January this year.
As for domestic shipments, all petrochemical products maintained growth over the previous month and the previous year, except for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) which levelled off. Exports have been declining in volume terms, reflecting the softening Asian markets.