Nippon Steel facts for kids
Logo used since 2019
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Marunouchi Park Building, headquarters of Nippon Steel
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Native name
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日本製鉄株式会社
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Romanized name
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Nippon Seitetsu kabushiki gaisha |
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Formerly
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Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (2012–2019) |
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| Traded as | TYO: 5401 NAG: 5401 FSE: 5401 SSE: 5401 TOPIX Large70 component |
| Industry | Steel |
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| Founded | October 1, 2012 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Marunouchi,
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Japan
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Key people
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Eiji Hashimoto (Chairman & CEO) |
| Revenue |  ¥6.177 trillion (2019) |
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Operating income
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¥114.20 billion (2017) |
| ¥251.69 billion (2019) |
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| Total assets | ¥8.049 trillion (2019) |
| Total equity | ¥3.230 trillion (2019) |
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Number of employees
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105,796 (2019) |
| Subsidiaries | Nippon Steel Engineering Nippon Steel Materials Nippon Steel Chemical U.S. Steel |
Nippon Steel Corporation (日本製鉄株式会社, Nippon Seitetsu kabushiki gaisha) is Japan's largest company that makes steel. Its main office is in the Marunouchi area of Tokyo. Steel is an incredibly strong and useful metal used to build everything from skyscrapers and bridges to cars and ships.
Nippon Steel is the biggest steel producer in Japan and one of the top five largest in the entire world. Besides making steel, the company also works in engineering, chemicals, and computer systems.
The company has had a few different names over the years. The original company started in 1934. It split into two companies in 1950, which then joined back together in 1970. In 2012, it merged with another company, Sumitomo Metal Industries, before changing its name back to Nippon Steel Corporation in 2019.
Contents
The Story of Nippon Steel
How It All Began
The company's story starts in 1934, when several smaller steel makers in Japan joined together to form one big company called Japan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. One of the most important parts of this new company was the Yahata Steel Works.
In 1950, this large company was split into two smaller ones: Yawata Iron & Steel and Fuji Iron & Steel. These two companies operated separately for 20 years. Then, in 1970, they decided to merge back together to form the new Nippon Steel Corporation.
Facing Hard Times
In the early 1980s, Nippon Steel faced some challenges. It became more expensive to make steel, and profits went down. The company had to close some of its older furnaces, which are giant ovens used to melt metal and make steel.
Instead of laying off workers, the company found creative new jobs for them. In one interesting project, they used the extra heat from the steel furnaces to grow mushrooms in a special facility.
The 1980s were tough for the whole Japanese steel industry. Other countries, like South Korea, could make steel more cheaply, which created a lot of competition. Nippon Steel had to find new ways to succeed. This led to the permanent closure of furnaces in several cities, including Kamaishi in 1989 and Sakai in 1990.
Trying New Things Besides Steel
To stay strong, Nippon Steel decided to branch out into other businesses. This is called diversification. The company started working on semiconductors (used in computer chips), electronics, and software.
They even opened a space-themed amusement park called Space World! For a short time in the early 1990s, they also tried selling their own brand of laptop computers.
Even with these new ideas, the company faced some difficult years. But by making smart changes and cutting costs, it was able to become successful again.
Joining Forces with Sumitomo
In 2011, Nippon Steel announced a huge plan: to merge with Sumitomo Metal Industries, another major Japanese steel company. A merger is when two companies combine to become one.
By joining together, the new company, called Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, became the second-largest steelmaker in the world at that time. The merger officially happened on October 1, 2012.
On April 1, 2019, the company changed its name back to the simpler Nippon Steel Corporation.
What's Happening Now?
Nippon Steel continues to be a world leader in the steel industry. In 2020, the company had to make more tough decisions and close a few more furnaces to keep the business healthy.
In 2024, Nippon Steel made a major move by agreeing to buy U.S. Steel, one of the most famous steel companies in the United States. This purchase showed that Nippon Steel is still growing and planning for the future.
Where Nippon Steel Makes Steel
Nippon Steel has large factories, often called "works," all across Japan. These are some of the main locations where steel is produced.
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- Muroran, Hokkaido
- Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture
- Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture
- Tokyo
- Tōkai, Aichi Prefecture (Nagoya Works)
- Sakai, Osaka Prefecture
- Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture (Hirohata Works)
- Hikari, Yamaguchi Prefecture – makes steel pipes
- Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture (Yahata Works)
- Oita, Oita Prefecture
Factories from the Sumitomo Merger
When Nippon Steel merged with Sumitomo, it also gained Sumitomo's factories.
Teaming Up Around the World
Nippon Steel also works with other companies on projects. This is called a joint venture.
- In New Carlisle, Indiana, USA, they built a factory in 1991.
- In Calvert, Alabama, USA, they co-own a massive steel plant with another global company, ArcelorMittal. The plant makes over 5 million tons of steel a year.
- In Indonesia, they started a joint venture with local companies to produce steel for the car industry.
- In South Korea, they have a joint venture with the company POSCO that uses special technology to recycle dust and other waste from steel plants.
Protecting the Environment
Nippon Steel is working on ways to make steel production better for the planet.
Recycling Plastic into Fuel
In 2005, the company invested in new equipment to recycle more waste plastic. The plastic is turned into a material called coke, which is a key fuel used in the giant furnaces that make steel. This helps reduce plastic waste.
Smarter Steel for Ships
In 2006, Nippon Steel worked with Mitsubishi to create a new type of steel that is much stronger than normal steel. Because it's so strong, ships can be built with thinner steel walls. This makes the ships lighter, so they use less fuel and cause less pollution.
Turning Food Waste into Fuel
The company also started a project to turn leftover food into ethanol, which is a type of alcohol that can be used as fuel. They worked with the city of Kitakyushu to collect food waste. To save energy, they use waste heat from another facility to power the process.
See also
In Spanish: Nippon Steel para niños
- Kashima Antlers
- Nippon Steel Yawata S.C., former company football club, based near the Yawata plant and originally owned by it before the Fuji Steel merger
- NS Solutions
