Sojitz Acquires Majority Shares in NIPPON A&L INC.

Sojitz Corporation (“Sojitz”), Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (“Sumitomo Chemical”), and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (“Mitsui Chemicals”) have concluded a share purchase agreement in which Sojitz will acquire shares of NIPPON A&L INC. (“Nippon A&L”), a company engaged in R&D, manufacturing, and sales of SBR latexes and ABS resins. Following the necessary share acquisition procedures, Sojitz is expected to purchase 66.5% of shares in Nippon A&L in July 2025. Following this acquisition, Nippon A&L will become a consolidated subsidiary of Sojitz.

As a joint venture of Sumitomo Chemical and Mitsui Chemicals, Nippon A&L is recognized as a global supplier with advanced technology in SBR latex used as anode binders for lithium-ion batteries (LiB), for which demand is expanding due to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. In the field of SBR latex for paper processing, the company boasts one of Japan’s leading supply chains and is highly regarded in both areas. Additionally, in ABS resin used for automobiles and home appliances, Nippon A&L has a stable customer base both domestically and internationally, supported by its high level of technological expertise.

Sumitomo Chemical will continue to upgrade its business portfolio in accordance with its new growth strategy under the slogan, Leap Beyond: Returning to a Growth Trajectory. The company is working to further strengthen the resilience of business structures through continuous structural reforms and to improve financial and capital efficiency. Against this backdrop, different measures have been under consideration to ensure continued growth for Nippon A&L.

As a result, Sumitomo Chemical has reached the decision to make a partial transfer　of shares held in Nippon A&L to Sojitz. Sojitz has a history of handling LiB products, including Nippon A&L products, from the early days of the LiB industry. Sojitz has demonstrated business knowledge and experience coupled with an active interest in strengthening the latex businesses, and Sojitz is expected to leverage its management resources and expertise in order to contribute to raising Nippon A&L’s corporate value further.

Mitsui Chemicals’ VISION 2030 Long-Term Business Plan positions “Chemistry for Sustainable World” as the company’s ideal vision. In pursuing portfolio reform as a basic strategy for achieving this plan, Mitsui Chemicals aims to become a truly global specialty company by leaning on the two key pillars of a high-growth, high-profitability global specialty chemicals business and a sustainable green chemicals business centered on competitive derivatives. To maximize Nippon A&L’s strengths and foster positive synergy, Mitsui Chemicals has been exploring partnerships with other companies　as part of the portfolio transformation. As a result, Mitsui Chemicals has concluded this recent share purchase agreement with Sojitz based on the expectation that Nippon A&L’s corporate value will increase and the company will generate new value under the Sojitz Group.