Update:April 1, 2010

(1) Japan's Industrial Policy and Construction of Petrochemical Complexes

1.Construction of Petrochemical Complexes and the Outset of Pollution

Yokkaichi, an industrial city in Mie Prefecture lying 40 km southwest of Nagoya City, is one of the major business districts located at the geographical center of the Japanese Archipelago. Facing Ise Bay on the east, Yokkaichi embraces the Suzuka Mountains in the west. The distance from the coast line to the mountains is about 25 km. The city center is situated in the coastal area, and the population of the city is currently around 300,000 (See Figure 2 - 1 ) .
For the purpose of restructuring the postwar economy, the Japanese Government issued the Petrochemical Industry Program - Phase I, including the Plan for Upgrading the Petrochemical Industry in 1955. Yokkaichi was then selected as one of the sites for petrochemical complex construction.
The first petrochemical complex established in Yokkaichi (Complex No.1) consists of an ethylene plant with a production capacity of 22,000T/Y and other industrial facilities such as an oil refinery, a power plant, and petrochemical derivatives manufacturing plants. It started operation in 1959 as Japan's first petrochemical complex.
A few years later, the national government issued the Petrochemical Industry Program - Phase II, which was followed by construction of the second petrochemical complex in Yokkaichi (Complex N0.2). The complex, consisting of an ethylene plant with a production capacity of 42,000T/Y and other industrial facilities, commenced its operation in 1963. It was further extended to branch out into the third petrochemical complex (Complex N0.3) in 1972 to meet increasing demands of ethylene and its derivatives. Complex N0.3, which includes an ethylene plant with a production capacity of 300,000T/Y, started operation in 1972. The ethylene plant of Complex N0.3 was later upgraded to a production capacity of 380,000T/Y and that of Complex No. 1 was also upgraded several times and currently has a production capacity of 280,000T/Y Due to such development in the background, Yokkaichi today is shiping many petrochemical products and its derivatives.