No Leaks, No Limits: How Sanwa Hydrotech Powers the Net-Zero Future
Q: Your company was founded in 1934 and now specializes in the manufacturing, sales and distribution of stainless steel magnetic drive pumps. Your products are designed for industries requiring leak-free, safe environments and are trusted across various sectors, including electronics, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. In the current global manufacturing landscape, while companies face supply chain bottlenecks and rising raw material costs, Japanese firms with unique strengths are attracting worldwide attention as cost-effective options, partly due to the weakening yen. As a recognized industry leader with numerous strengths, what business strategies are you pursuing amid these global transformations?
Horiuchi: Last year, we were fortunate to celebrate our 90th anniversary. Regarding our business strategy, I'd like to explain it systematically to your readers. First, why are our products superior? Though I may sound biased, our products have exceptionally high potential value. Our seal-less pumps operate on the fundamental premise that they "absolutely must not leak"—this is a given. However, what's truly significant, though often less visible, is the remarkable excellence of Sanwa products in terms of design, materials and functionality. We've received abundant feedback from various industries noting: "Our productivity unexpectedly improved." This is where our 90 years of know-how and dedication shine through. Given our limited time, I'll focus specifically on how we've become an indispensable partner across the chemical, foods, automotive, equipment manufacturing and semiconductor industries.
From a strategic perspective, as these product capabilities have steadily permeated the market and customers have recognized Sanwa's quality, our business has grown substantially. As you mentioned, the fortunate trend of a weakening yen has created favorable conditions for international trade. This represents a significant opportunity for our company. Safety and Simplicity: Chemical Industry Praises Risk Prevention and Maintenance Ease
Indeed. While it's difficult to succinctly express your unique strengths, explaining them clearly as you suggest will make it easier for readers to understand. So, in the chemical industry, one of the key sectors you serve, what specific evaluations have you received regarding overcoming field challenges?
In the chemical industry, compared to other sectors, there are overwhelmingly more instances of handling hazardous liquids, and fluid leakage from pumps is absolutely to be avoided. When leakage occurs, field workers can suffer chemical burns, and such accidents have been reported. With substances like nitric acid, leaks have even caused explosions.
Furthermore, while labor shortages have become serious across all industries recently, the chemical industry particularly faces declining numbers of skilled workers. Therefore, ensuring equipment requires minimal maintenance and can be easily maintained by in-house staff has become extremely important.
Our magnetic pumps genuinely address these field concerns with a structure that minimizes leakage risk and simplifies maintenance. The ability to handle maintenance in-house provides tremendous peace of mind for customers. And there's more—our pumps aren't just distinguished by their leak-proof design. In fact, our company's proprietary development enables them to deliver extraordinary performance. Through detailed component design, material selection and assembly precision, we're proud to offer products with unparalleled durability, reliability and operability—strengths that have emerged from decades of accumulated expertise. Safeguarding Food Quality: Industry Praise for Hygiene and Efficiency
So, in the food industry, which is essential to our daily lives and continually innovating to meet diverse needs, what specific evaluations have your products and services received before and after implementation?
Our pumps have received exceptionally high evaluations from customers in the food industry as well. The most significant factor is hygiene. With conventional pumps, any potential leakage can create puddles that become breeding grounds for bacteria. Our pumps' leak-proof design prevents such risks at their source. Additionally, their completely sealed structure blocks bacterial entry from external sources. This makes them extremely hygienic and reassuring, according to customer feedback.
Furthermore, traditional shaft-sealed pumps require water injection at the seal during sterilization processes, necessitating additional equipment and management. With our magnetic pumps, such water injection systems become unnecessary, resulting in reduced equipment costs and simplified management procedures. Meeting these detailed needs effectively is why our pumps are the preferred choice. Kiyotaka Horiuchi, President and CEO, Sanwa Hydrotech Corporation, Japan. Credit: Courtesy of Sanwa Hydrotech. Kiyotaka Horiuchi, President and CEO, Sanwa Hydrotech Corporation, Japan. Credit: Courtesy of Sanwa Hydrotech. As we approach our centennial, we remain committed to this legacy of innovation—continually evolving our technology to meet tomorrow's challenges while maintaining the uncompromising quality and reliability that have defined Sanwa Hydrotech for nearly a century. Kiyotaka Horiuchi, president and CEO, Sanwa Hydrotech Corporation, Japan. From Parts Manufacturing to Hydrogen Fuel: Automotive Sector Success Stories
In the automotive industry, a core industrial sector in Japan, your products are also highly regarded. What kind of evaluations have they received?
Our pumps serve in extremely sensitive environments with demanding conditions, such as painting processes and automotive parts manufacturing facilities.
For instance, quenching oil used in automotive parts heat treatment is a high-temperature, flammable liquid that poses fire hazards if leakage occurs. There have been actual cases of fires caused by leaks from conventional pumps. By switching to our leak-proof magnetic structure pumps, safety has significantly improved, and accident risks have been proactively mitigated.
Our technology also plays a vital role in hydrogen stations. The pre-cooling chiller in dispensers needs to circulate and transfer extremely cold brine liquid at minus 40 degrees Celsius. Very few pumps can reliably handle such ultra-low temperature fluids, making our magnetic pumps a rare capability in the market. Additionally, their low heat input characteristic provides major benefits in circulation lines, earning exceptional trust from field operators. "Tremendous Peace of Mind": Equipment Manufacturers' Testimonials
We understand your products are also highly valued in the equipment manufacturing industry, which has seen remarkable innovation and growth in recent years. What kind of evaluations have they received?
We've received exceptionally high evaluations for our magnetic pumps from equipment manufacturers as well.
First, since equipment must fit systems into limited spaces, minimizing footprint becomes a crucial factor. Our pumps feature a compact design that addresses these needs, making them a differentiating element for manufacturers aiming to miniaturize their equipment.
Additionally, when problems such as fluid leakage occur within equipment, manufacturers must dispatch technicians to the site, incurring various costs including labor, travel expenses and time. Our magnetic pumps' completely leak-proof structure significantly reduces such risks, and we frequently hear that they provide tremendous peace of mind."
Furthermore, the elimination of shaft alignment work represents another major benefit for equipment manufacturers. Our magnetic pumps connect motors and pumps with a flange connection, unlike conventional volute pumps with coupling connections that require axis alignment. This user-friendly design significantly reduces the field workload for equipment designers and manufacturers. "Zero Malfunctions": How Semiconductor Producers Rely on Sanwa's Technology
In the semiconductor industry, which is undergoing various transformations and evolutions in the global market, including supply chain developments, your unique products are also making significant contributions. What evaluations have they received?
While the semiconductor industry has an extremely broad scope, our magnetic pumps are adopted particularly in chemical production facilities. Since many chemicals are highly corrosive, applications demand selective use of resin and metal materials, depending on requirements. Our stainless steel pumps excel in corrosion resistance and have earned high trust over many years.
Additionally, semiconductor manufacturing equipment requires compact design to fit within limited spaces due to their highly condensed structures. The ability to operate with complete leak prevention and without water injection is also highly valued by equipment manufacturers.
Once adopted, our pumps establish a stable operational track record of absolutely no malfunctions. Cross-Industry Excellence
It's very clear how your products are solving challenges across different industries. I understand there are many more fields where your products excel, but among the industries you've mentioned, what's the common secret behind the high overall evaluations your products receive? How can the same products effectively support different industries?
I'll explain the technical details later, but a key factor is our extensive experience in the petrochemical industry, which we've been involved with since our company's founding. The expertise we've gained meeting the stringent requirements of the petrochemical industry is reflected in every single pump design. This is why our pumps can excel across such diverse industries. Technical Superiority
Your company possesses a history, know-how and track record that competitors find difficult to replicate. Could you explain the technical content that underlies these numerous positive evaluations? Your stainless steel magnetic drive pumps are considered ideal for high-purity, cutting-edge applications requiring safety and reliability. Could you elaborate on the technical advantages of your products?
I'll focus particularly on explaining the safety and reliability of our products.
First, the aspect customers value most: no liquid leakage. This is largely attributable to the magnetic coupling drive system employed in our MP series. Unlike conventional pumps using mechanical seals, our design structurally eliminates the risk of fluid leakage to the exterior, enabling safe handling of everything from organic solvents to dangerous fluids like sulfuric acid and caustic soda, and even ultra-pure water, where high purity is essential. This represents a significant advantage in today's environmentally conscious world.
Additionally, customers highly appreciate that maintenance is straightforward. We maintain a simple structure with minimal parts. This allows for disassembly, cleaning and reassembly in a short time without specialized knowledge or special tools. We've received specific feedback from customers saying they can clean it daily, indicating that we're contributing to reducing the burden of daily operations.
Next, the aspects of trouble-free operation and stable performance. We've standardized bearings in our MP series. These SiC-D bearings significantly reduce friction resistance compared to conventional bearings through special coating, achieving high lubricity, stable rotation and low wear levels, greatly contributing to the pumps' longevity.
Finally, to ensure customers can use our products with peace of mind, we conduct performance tests using actual liquids on each unit before shipment, followed by thorough cleaning and leak testing. We believe this rigorous quality control system also contributes to the trust our customers place in us. Sanwa Pump team with an EU distributor at Achema 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Sanwa Hydrotech. Global Partnerships
Partnerships are a critical element in many companies' growth strategies. Your company has established alliances with various firms in Europe and the Americas. Are you considering new partnerships overseas in areas such as product development, production and sales?
Beyond Europe and the Americas, we're currently establishing new partners in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. We believe these regions still have significant growth potential. Asian Market Strategy
What strategy are you employing to expand your customer base in Asia?
Currently, we're looking for distributors who can not only sell our products but also provide maintenance services. Maintenance is an extremely important element to us. We're seeking partners with facilities capable of not only selling but also collecting, servicing and even modifying pumps when necessary.
Therefore, we're approaching potential partners one by one to confirm partnership possibilities. In Asia, we're placing particular emphasis on Thailand. Many of our Japanese customers are establishing factories there, and we're increasingly selling to these customers. Currently, customers often handle maintenance and parts procurement themselves, but going forward, we aim to create a system that can provide them smoother local support. Carbon Neutrality Initiatives
Carbon neutrality is a major business area for your company and forms the core of your initiatives. Could you explain in detail why this field is an important business target for Sanwa Pump?
This is a growth sector for the future, and we need to accelerate applications in this field to achieve carbon neutrality targets for 2030 and 2050. Of course, this is an entirely new undertaking for both us and our customers, requiring trial and error. Nevertheless, we believe Sanwa Pump can become a leading company in this field. Our decades of experience with high-performance, leak-free fluid handling positions us perfectly to pioneer this attractive new market that will certainly expand dramatically in the coming years.
What strategies do you plan to adopt to succeed in the carbon neutrality field?
Our approach is to first conduct surveys and research, then approach companies where our products could potentially be utilized. Subsequently, we receive and will continue to receive consultations from some companies. Water Electrolysis Applications
As we understand it, water electrolysis is one of the key technologies in carbon neutrality efforts. It enables the production of green hydrogen by decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen, using renewable energy. Could you tell us more about Sanwa Pump's initiatives regarding water electrolysis?
In Japan, the technology of generating hydrogen through water electrolysis has been employed for some time. Our company has been providing products for such hydrogen generation equipment for the past 20 years. However, the pursuit of carbon neutrality has accelerated these efforts. We hold a considerably high market share in the water electrolysis market, with our pumps being used for water supply and circulation purposes. We expect this share to continue expanding.
Currently, evaluations are progressing in numerous test facilities. For example, in Yamanashi prefecture, our pumps are used in a hydrogen generator that uses surplus electricity from solar power generation. Adjacent to this device is a methane synthesizing device, and the hydrogen generated is used to generate synthetic methane. Using synthetic methane enables carbon neutrality.
Our pumps are also used in the methane generators. These pumps must withstand temperatures as high as 230 degrees Celsius, and there are only a few manufacturers that can meet this specification, and we are one of the few companies among them. Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai
We understand that Sanwa Pump will provide important equipment for the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai. We also hear that several key products will be exhibited. What specific technologies will you be showcasing at the Osaka Expo? How do these technologies connect to carbon neutrality goals?
A: Our pumps have been adopted for use in the methanation pilot plant managed by Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. They're being used as water electrolysis equipment for the methanation pilot plant and also as high-temperature liquid circulation pumps in the equipment performing the methanation reaction. The methane gas synthesized here will be supplied to the Guest House kitchen and used as a heating source for cooking meals served to VIPs from various countries.
Note: The Guest House is a project commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment: Project to Construct and Demonstrate a Model for Reducing the Cost of Hydrogen Supply by Utilizing the Existing Infrastructure. Aspirations Toward Our Centennial: Building the Next Century of Innovation
In 10 years, your company will reach the significant milestone of its 100th anniversary. Do you have any goals or aspirations for this important occasion?
Of course carbon neutrality is one of our major goals. Another guiding principle for our company comes from our founder's words. Inscribed on a monument in our current office are the words: "New Technology, New Materials, New Products."
Our company started as a casting company but ceased casting operations in 2003. We preserved the founder's words in a monument during the final casting. These words embody the philosophy that even as the world changes, we must respond to the needs of the times. As we approach our centennial, we remain committed to this legacy of innovation—continually evolving our technology to meet tomorrow's challenges while maintaining the uncompromising quality and reliability that have defined Sanwa Hydrotech for nearly a century.
For more details, explore the company's website at: www.sanwapump.com/?qr=NWmay2025
All interviews were conducted by The Worldfolio and can be found at www.theworldfolio.com.
This report has been paid for by a third party. The views and opinions expressed are not those of Newsweek and are not an endorsement of the products, services or persons mentioned.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
She fell in love with traditional Japanese homes during a high school trip. At 24, she bought one in the countryside.
Coline Aguirre bought a traditional house in the Japanese countryside when she was 24. She left France and moved to Japan alone to restore the property and start her own real-estate consultancy. "It's been three years now, but it still feels like a dream," Aguirre said. Coline Aguirre first began to imagine her future during a high school exchange program in Japan a decade ago. Aguirre, who was born in Paris but moved around a lot as a child, spent a year studying in Kanagawa, a prefecture about 40 miles outside Tokyo. During a visit to her host family's grandparents in the countryside, she discovered that they lived in a traditional Japanese house built in the '70s, with elegant wooden beams and beautiful tatami rooms. "That was the first time I slept in a tatami room. Before that, I had only been in really modern city houses in Japan," Aguirre told Business Insider. "I fell in love, and in that moment, I knew I wanted to own a traditional house in Japan." Love Business Insider? Add Business Insider as a preferred source on Google to see more of us. Fast-forward to 2021: Aguirre was back in France and working as a freelance photographer. Over the years, she and her mother had nurtured a shared hobby of scrolling through real-estate websites and window-shopping for homes. "At the time, I was discovering the real estate market in Japan and noticing the really low prices," Aguirre said. In France, a countryside home could easily set her back by 200,000 euros. In contrast, some houses in rural Japan can go for as low as $500. The contrast was striking, and it got her thinking about the possibilities. "In France, if I wanted to buy something new with the money I had then, it would be a car or a garage. I don't want to live in a car or in a garage," she said. 'A hundred years old, minimum' Thus started her hunt for a "kominka," or a farmhouse, in the Japanese countryside. Aguirre was looking for a large property, with enough room for a photo studio. She also wanted an old house because she felt that they were built with materials meant to last. "My criteria was like, a hundred years old, minimum," Aguirre added. When she chanced upon the listing for a 3,200-square-foot property in Uda, a small town about 50 miles south of Kyoto, she knew she had found the one. "It matched all my expectations. It was huge, maybe a bit too huge, but it had an inner garden, two bathrooms, two kitchens, and a lot of bedrooms," Aguirre said. It was also a 15-minute drive to the train station, and about an hour and a half from the ocean. With the help of a consultant on a real-estate portal — who sent her a 20-minute video tour of the listing — Aguirre bought the two-story house remotely, without seeing it in person. Aguirre says she paid about 4.9 million Japanese yen for the property in 2022, and at the age of 24, achieved her dream of buying a traditional house in the Japanese countryside. Her husband, who is in the French Army, knew this was her plan soon after they first got together. "From the moment we started dating eight years ago, I already told him I'm going to be a house owner in Japan one day. And it eventually happened," Aguirre said. She officially moved to Japan alone later that year. "I had no plan. I was just trusting the universe," Aguirre, now 27, said. Her parents were also supportive of her move. It helped that they were already familiar with Japan: Her father had spent a year working in Tokyo, and her mother had been to the country multiple times on vacation. Growing up, she was used to her parents buying and fixing up old houses in France. "I had no perception of what was scary or not," Aguirre said. "We've been doing that so many times, it just felt normal for me to buy a house." Restoring the house Aguirre's house sits on a street where the old market used to be. The street reminds her of Kyoto, with its shops and old houses. "The post office is in front of me, while there's a bank at the end of the road," she said. When her house was first built in the 1920s, the front section facing the street served as a soy sauce shop. Before she bought it, the previous owners had used it as a summer home whenever they visited from the city during the holidays. In terms of restoring the property, Aguirre, who now runs a real-estate consultancy, says she has tried to keep as much of the original structure as possible. The main thing she's changed so far is getting rid of the septic tank and connecting the property to the public sewage system. "I haven't really destroyed so many things besides everything that was added during the '70s," she said. There's plenty left to do, including remodeling the kitchen and removing the fake ceilings on the second floor. Considering the size of the property, it's been a slow process. "I try to do all the DIY I possibly can," Aguiree said. Local contractors were often more accustomed to working on newer homes with modern materials like plastic insulation, which wasn't what she envisioned for her own space. "I started to learn a lot of DIY stuff, like making tiles and waterproofing the shower. But it's fun. I really enjoy it and I like power tools a lot," Aguirre said, adding that she dived into online tutorials, read books, and got advice from her father. These days, between managing her business and working on the house, Aguirre also runs an online boutique selling vintage kimonos and accessories. On the side, she offers kimono photography sessions, too. Living the dream Aguirre is part of a growing wave of foreigners who are relocating to Japan. The number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high of 3,768,977 at the end of 2024 — an increase of 10.5% from the previous year, per data from the country's Immigration Services Agency. Four Americans who spoke to BI in 2023 listed Japan's safety standards and relative affordability as reasons for their move. Others told BI they were drawn to the idea of renovating one of the country's 8 million abandoned homes. Though much of the experience has been rewarding, Aguirre says the hardest part of her move was staying focused on her goals. "It is super challenging to own that kind of big house that needs constant attention, while also starting a business from zero in a new country with a new language," she said. She hopes to improve her Japanese language skills, but hasn't found the time to take lessons. "For now, my language classes are me talking to my neighbors," Aguirre said. Most of her neighbours are between 50 and 90 years old and have been living in the area for decades. Many of them once attended the local elementary school, which has since been transformed into a maple park. That said, meeting new people hasn't been difficult. A fairly large group of foreigners — mostly from the US and the UK — are living in Uda, she said. "When you go grocery shopping and you see someone else who is a foreigner, you basically go and talk to them because it's so rare," Aguirre said. Over the years, she's been introduced to new people, sometimes even on the street. Aguirre lives in her house in Japan full-time, and her husband comes to visit her whenever he can. Regarding what is often a long-distance relationship, Aguirre said, "It's challenging, but I mean, he said yes eight years ago." Looking back on her journey, Aguirre says it feels like she's only begun to scratch the surface. "Three years is just a trial," she said. Sometimes, she added, you'll need to wait for the thrill of the move to die down before you know if it's really for you. That said, Aguire knows she made the right choice. She hopes to continue growing her real estate business, now a team of three, and eventually connect traditional Japanese homes with buyers seeking homes and spaces for their creative projects. "It still feels like a dream," Aguirre said. "I just added more layers to my dream." Do you have a story to share about building your dream home in Asia? Contact this reporter at agoh@ Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
She fell in love with traditional Japanese homes during a high school trip. At 24, she bought one in the countryside.
Coline Aguirre first began to imagine her future during a high school exchange program in Japan a decade ago. Aguirre, who was born in Paris but moved around a lot as a child, spent a year studying in Kanagawa, a prefecture about 40 miles outside Tokyo. During a visit to her host family's grandparents in the countryside, she discovered that they lived in a traditional Japanese house built in the '70s, with elegant wooden beams and beautiful tatami rooms. "That was the first time I slept in a tatami room. Before that, I had only been in really modern city houses in Japan," Aguirre told Business Insider. "I fell in love, and in that moment, I knew I wanted to own a traditional house in Japan." Fast-forward to 2021: Aguirre was back in France and working as a freelance photographer. Over the years, she and her mother had nurtured a shared hobby of scrolling through real-estate websites and window-shopping for homes. "At the time, I was discovering the real estate market in Japan and noticing the really low prices," Aguirre said. In France, a countryside home could easily set her back by 200,000 euros. In contrast, some houses in rural Japan can go for as low as $500. The contrast was striking, and it got her thinking about the possibilities. "In France, if I wanted to buy something new with the money I had then, it would be a car or a garage. I don't want to live in a car or in a garage," she said. 'A hundred years old, minimum' Thus started her hunt for a "kominka," or a farmhouse, in the Japanese countryside. Aguirre was looking for a large property, with enough room for a photo studio. She also wanted an old house because she felt that they were built with materials meant to last. "My criteria was like, a hundred years old, minimum," Aguirre added. When she chanced upon the listing for a 3,200-square-foot property in Uda, a small town about 50 miles south of Kyoto, she knew she had found the one. "It matched all my expectations. It was huge, maybe a bit too huge, but it had an inner garden, two bathrooms, two kitchens, and a lot of bedrooms," Aguirre said. It was also a 15-minute drive to the train station, and about an hour and a half from the ocean. With the help of a consultant on a real-estate portal — who sent her a 20-minute video tour of the listing — Aguirre bought the two-story house remotely, without seeing it in person. Aguirre says she paid about 4.9 million Japanese yen for the property in 2022, and at the age of 24, achieved her dream of buying a traditional house in the Japanese countryside. Her husband, who is in the French Army, knew this was her plan soon after they first got together. "From the moment we started dating eight years ago, I already told him I'm going to be a house owner in Japan one day. And it eventually happened," Aguirre said. She officially moved to Japan alone later that year. "I had no plan. I was just trusting the universe," Aguirre, now 27, said. Her parents were also supportive of her move. It helped that they were already familiar with Japan: Her father had spent a year working in Tokyo, and her mother had been to the country multiple times on vacation. Growing up, she was used to her parents buying and fixing up old houses in France. "I had no perception of what was scary or not," Aguirre said. "We've been doing that so many times, it just felt normal for me to buy a house." Restoring the house Aguirre's house sits on a street where the old market used to be. The street reminds her of Kyoto, with its shops and old houses. "The post office is in front of me, while there's a bank at the end of the road," she said. When her house was first built in the 1920s, the front section facing the street served as a soy sauce shop. Before she bought it, the previous owners had used it as a summer home whenever they visited from the city during the holidays. In terms of restoring the property, Aguirre, who now runs a real-estate consultancy, says she has tried to keep as much of the original structure as possible. The main thing she's changed so far is getting rid of the septic tank and connecting the property to the public sewage system. "I haven't really destroyed so many things besides everything that was added during the '70s," she said. There's plenty left to do, including remodeling the kitchen and removing the fake ceilings on the second floor. Considering the size of the property, it's been a slow process. "I try to do all the DIY I possibly can," Aguiree said. Local contractors were often more accustomed to working on newer homes with modern materials like plastic insulation, which wasn't what she envisioned for her own space. "I started to learn a lot of DIY stuff, like making tiles and waterproofing the shower. But it's fun. I really enjoy it and I like power tools a lot," Aguirre said, adding that she dived into online tutorials, read books, and got advice from her father. These days, between managing her business and working on the house, Aguirre also runs an online boutique selling vintage kimonos and accessories. On the side, she offers kimono photography sessions, too. Living the dream Aguirre is part of a growing wave of foreigners who are relocating to Japan. The number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high of 3,768,977 at the end of 2024 — an increase of 10.5% from the previous year, per data from the country's Immigration Services Agency. Four Americans who spoke to BI in 2023 listed Japan's safety standards and relative affordability as reasons for their move. Others told BI they were drawn to the idea of renovating one of the country's 8 million abandoned homes. Though much of the experience has been rewarding, Aguirre says the hardest part of her move was staying focused on her goals. "It is super challenging to own that kind of big house that needs constant attention, while also starting a business from zero in a new country with a new language," she said. She hopes to improve her Japanese language skills, but hasn't found the time to take lessons. "For now, my language classes are me talking to my neighbors," Aguirre said. Most of her neighbours are between 50 and 90 years old and have been living in the area for decades. Many of them once attended the local elementary school, which has since been transformed into a maple park. That said, meeting new people hasn't been difficult. A fairly large group of foreigners — mostly from the US and the UK — are living in Uda, she said. "When you go grocery shopping and you see someone else who is a foreigner, you basically go and talk to them because it's so rare," Aguirre said. Over the years, she's been introduced to new people, sometimes even on the street. Aguirre lives in her house in Japan full-time, and her husband comes to visit her whenever he can. Regarding what is often a long-distance relationship, Aguirre said,"It's challenging, but I mean, he said yes eight years ago." Looking back on her journey, Aguirre says it feels like she's only begun to scratch the surface. "Three years is just a trial," she said. Sometimes, she added, you'll need to wait for the thrill of the move to die down before you know if it's really for you. That said, Aguire knows she made the right choice. She hopes to continue growing her real estate business, now a team of three, and eventually connect traditional Japanese homes with buyers seeking homes and spaces for their creative projects. "It still feels like a dream," Aguirre said. "I just added more layers to my dream."
Los Angeles Times
5 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Fatal explosion at U.S. Steel's plant raises questions about its future despite heavy investment
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The fatal explosion last week at U.S. Steel's Pittsburgh-area coal-processing plant has revived debate about its future just as the iconic American company was emerging from a long period of uncertainty. The fortunes of steelmaking in the United States — along with profits, share prices and steel prices — have been buoyed by years of friendly administrations in Washington that slapped tariffs on foreign imports and bolstered the industry's anticompetitive trade cases against China. Most recently, President Trump's administration postponed new hazardous air pollution requirements for the nation's roughly dozen coke plants, including Clairton Coke Works, where the blast occurred, and he approved U.S. Steel's nearly $15-billion acquisition by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel. Nippon Steel's promised infusion of cash has brought vows that steelmaking will continue in the Mon Valley, a river valley south of Pittsburgh long synonymous with steelmaking. 'We're investing money here. And we wouldn't have done the deal with Nippon Steel if we weren't absolutely sure that we were going to have an enduring future here in the Mon Valley,' David Burritt, U.S. Steel's chief executive, said at a news conference Tuesday, a day after the explosion. 'You can count on this facility to be around for a long, long time.' The explosion killed two workers and hospitalized 10 with a blast so powerful that it took hours to find two missing workers beneath charred wreckage and rubble. The cause is under investigation. The plant is considered the largest coking operation in North America and, along with a blast furnace and finishing mill up the Monongahela River, is one of a handful of integrated steelmaking operations left in the U.S. The explosion now could test Nippon Steel's resolve in propping up the nearly 110-year-old Clairton plant, or at least force it to spend more than it had anticipated. Nippon Steel didn't respond to a question as to whether the explosion will change its approach to the plant. A spokesperson for the company said in a statement that its 'commitment to the Mon Valley remains strong' and that it sent 'technical experts to work with the local teams in the Clairton Plant, and to provide our full support.' Meanwhile, Burritt said that he had talked to top Nippon Steel officials after the explosion and that 'this facility and the Mon Valley are here to stay.' U.S. Steel officials say that safety is their top priority and that they spend $100 million a year on environmental compliance at Clairton alone. Repairing Clairton, however, could be expensive, an investigation into the explosion could turn up more problems, and an official from the United Steelworkers union said it's a constant struggle to get U.S. Steel to invest in its plants. Besides that, production at the facility could be affected for some time. The plant has six batteries of ovens, and two — where the explosion occurred — were damaged. Two others are on a reduced production schedule because of the blast. There is no timeline to get the damaged batteries running again, U.S. Steel said. Accidents are nothing new at Clairton, which heats coal to high temperatures to make coke, a key component in steelmaking, and produces combustible gases as byproducts. An explosion in February injured two workers. Even as Nippon Steel was closing the deal in June, a breakdown at the plant dealt three days of a rotten egg odor into the air around it from elevated hydrogen sulfide emissions, the environmental group GASP reported. The Breathe Project, a public health organization, said U.S. Steel has been forced to pay $57 million in fines and settlements since Jan. 1, 2020, for problems at the Clairton plant. A lawsuit over a Christmas Eve fire at Clairton in 2018 that saturated the area's air for weeks with sulfur dioxide produced a withering assessment of conditions there. An engineer for the environmental groups that sued wrote that he 'found no indication that U.S. Steel has an effective, comprehensive maintenance program for the Clairton plant.' Clairton, he wrote, is 'inherently dangerous because of the combination of its deficient maintenance and its defective design.' U.S. Steel settled, agreeing to spend millions on upgrades. Matthew Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Project, said U.S. Steel has shown more willingness to spend money on paying fines, lobbying the government and buying back shares to reward shareholders than making its plants safe. It's unclear whether Nippon Steel will change Clairton. Central to Trump's approval of the acquisition was Nippon Steel's promises to invest $11 billion into U.S. Steel's aging plants and to give the federal government a say in decisions involving domestic steel production, including plant closings. But much of the $2.2 billion that Nippon Steel has earmarked for the Mon Valley plants is expected to go toward upgrading the finishing mill, or building a new one. For years before the acquisition, U.S. Steel had signaled that the Mon Valley was on the chopping block. That left workers there uncertain whether they'd have jobs in a couple of years and whispering that U.S. Steel couldn't fill openings because nobody believed the jobs would exist much longer. In many ways, U.S. Steel's Mon Valley plants are relics of steelmaking's past. In the early 1970s, U.S. steel production led the world and was at an all-time high, thanks to 62 coke plants that fed 141 blast furnaces. Nobody in the U.S. has built a blast furnace since then, as foreign competition devastated the American steel industry and coal fell out of favor. Now, China is dominant in steel and heavily invested in coal-based steelmaking. In the U.S., there are barely a dozen coke plants and blast furnaces left, as the country's steelmaking has shifted to cheaper electric arc furnaces that use electricity, not coal. Blast furnaces won't entirely go away, analysts say, because they produce metals that are preferred by automakers, appliance makers and oil and gas exploration firms. Still, Christopher Briem, an economist at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Social and Urban Research, questioned whether the Clairton plant really will survive much longer, given its age and condition. It could be particularly vulnerable if the economy slides into recession or the fundamentals of the American steel market shift, he said. 'I'm not quite sure it's all set in stone as people believe,' Briem said. 'If the market does not bode well for U.S. Steel, for American steel, is Nippon Steel really going to keep these things?' Levy writes for the Associated Press.
