午夜剧场

I would like to explain "YUPO," which is both our company name and the name of our product.

"YUPO" is a synthetic paper (a paper-like material made primarily from synthetic resin) that combines the characteristics of both paper and plastic film. It is durable and water-resistant, making it suitable for outdoor posters and maps. Its main raw materials are polypropylene—a petroleum-derived synthetic resin currently facing environmental headwinds—and inorganic fillers.

The main applications for "YUPO" include outdoor posters, labels for plastic containers such as shampoo, labels for frozen and refrigerated foods, portable maps, and golf scorecards, all of which require resistance to rain and water. Additionally, due to its characteristic of opening immediately after being folded, it is used in familiar places such as election ballots, as it is suitable for labor-saving during the vote-counting process.

The origin of our company stems from the resource and environmental issues of that time.

In the 1960s, there were concerns about the shortage of forest resources supporting paper culture and the resulting price hikes. In 1968, the Resources Council of the Science and Technology Agency issued a "Recommendation on the Development of the Synthetic Paper Industry," identifying petroleum resin-based materials as a "new material to replace paper." Consequently, many companies from sectors such as pulp and paper, textiles, and petrochemicals entered the synthetic paper business. However, following two oil crises, all other companies withdrew, leaving only two companies, including ours. Naturally, we were forced to shift our direction from "paper substitute" to "functional material." Since then, we have focused on product development and application expansion targeting niche markets, using functions that natural paper and film cannot achieve as our weapon.

I believe that the reason we were able to celebrate our 50th anniversary this May is thanks to the immense cooperation (so to speak, co-creation) of various people surrounding us—including printing companies, ink manufacturers, printing equipment manufacturers, and brand owners—to leverage the unique characteristics of synthetic paper.

Furthermore, in March of this year, we launched "YUPO Green," a synthetic paper blended with biomass-derived resin to promote the reduction of CO2 emissions. We intend to continue our commitment to environmentally friendly manufacturing, which has been our focus since our founding.

Finally, I would like to use this space, as an alumnus of the Kuribayashi Seminar, to pray for the soul of Professor Tadao Kuribayashi, who passed away in January of this year.