Honda Green Purchasing Guidelines Get Revised
To reduce its carbon footprint, Honda Motor Co. has revised its guidelines in all aspects of its business operations.
Honda will sequentially share its revised green purchasing guidelines with suppliers around the world while continuing its effort toward the realization of a low-carbon society on a global basis.
The guidelines apply to all parts and materials suppliers around the world.
Abu Dhabi to Extent Japan’s Oil Concessions
The government of Abu Dhabi is expected to extent Japan’s oil concessions for an additional 30 years.
According to sources, the chief executive officer of a state-run oil company told industry minister that it plans to accept Japan’s request to renew the concessions.
Japan imports 3.65 million barrels of crude oil per day, 24,000 barrels of which come from the Abu Dhabi oil fields in question.
Mitsubishi Fuso Recalls Trucks
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp have recalled 31,924 trucks of the same model having caught fire while running in 11 prefectures nationwide since 2001.
The Fuso Fighter trucks built between February 1999 and August 2005 are eligible for the recall. Because if they keep running while short of cooling water or with a rise in the water temperature, resin components of the engine could become deformed and leaked oil could touch heated components and catch fire. The company will fix the trucks by fitting their engines with sensors so that fuel will stop flowing as soon as the sensors detect overheating.
Japan to Build 100 Hydrogen Station
A total of 10 energy companies made an announcement in a statement jointly issued with Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co that they will seek to build some 100 hydrogen supply stations at four major city areas to expand the next-generation eco-friendly vehicle in Japan in 2015. They are also calling on the government to support their effort.
The infrastructure costs are currently high, with about 600 million yen required to build one hydrogen fueling station, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
In building 100 hydrogen stations, energy companies hope to reduce the costs to around 200 million yen each through regulatory reviews and technology development, an official of one of the energy companies said.
The four areas where the companies would seek to build hydrogen fueling stations center on Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka.
The 10 energy companies include JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp, Idemitsu Kosan Co, and Cosmo Oil Co, as well as Tokyo Gas Co and Osaka Gas Co.
Japan Institute, U.S. Government Tie up on Smallpox Vaccine
A research institute in Kumamoto and the U.S. Health and Human Services Department have reached an agreement to produce smallpox vaccine.
The U.S. government will pay up to 34 million dollars over five years, the equivalent of about 10 percent of the Chemo-Sero Therapeutic Research Institute’s annual sales, which produces various kinds of vaccines.
The institute developed its vaccine about 40 years ago but has not produced it since the World Health Organization officially declared smallpox eradicated in 1980.
However, the institute continued to cultivate a mild strain of smallpox for use in producing vaccine, as part of government efforts to be ready for possible chemical stacks using smallpox.
Valuing the fact that the institute's vaccine has few side effects, the U.S. government agreed to cover the cost of clinical trials in the United States.
Maggie Zhang joined iTV-Asia in September 2010. She is originally from Henan, China and is “Content Coordinator” for Japan. She is focused on a number of industries including advertising, energy, entertainment, finance, food & beverage, media and real estate. Maggie is new to Shanghai and is exploring and learning about this great city. She can be reached at maggie.zhang@itv-asia.com.