Three Paper Makers Arrange Alternative Newsprint Supply After Yatsushiro Mill Suspension

Three Japanese paper manufacturers are arranging to begin alternative supplies of newsprint within the week following the suspension of operations at Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill after the July Kumamoto Earthquake.

Oji Holdings, Daio Paper Corporation and Chuetsu Pulp & Paper are coordinating supply volumes and logistics to support Nippon Paper Industries and help maintain stable newsprint availability. The Yatsushiro Mill is the only newsprint production base in Japan's Kyushu region.

Oji Holdings plans to supply newsprint from its mill in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, while Chuetsu Pulp & Paper intends to supply from its facility in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. Daio Paper Corporation is still finalizing its supply base.

As of the 20th, Oji Holdings and Daio Paper said adjustments related to supply volumes and logistics were continuing, with shipments expected to begin once arrangements are completed. The companies will determine specific supply volumes after assessing newsprint supply and demand conditions.

Nippon Paper Industries had produced newsprint at the Yatsushiro Mill and its Iwanuma Mill in Miyagi Prefecture. Production from the Iwanuma Mill is currently being diverted to Kyushu as an alternative supply source, with support from the three manufacturers intended to supplement those shipments.

The Yatsushiro Mill had supplied newspaper companies across western Japan. Its suspension raised concerns about possible disruptions to paper procurement, particularly in Kyushu.

The recovery timeline for the mill has not been determined. The duration and volume of alternative supplies will depend on recovery prospects and the production capacity of the participating manufacturers.