January 2013

The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association

Vol. 13-01

1. Chairman’s Speech at New Year’s Party
JRAIA held its new year’s party on January 11, 2013 at Laforet Tokyo. Mr. Okada, JRAIA Chairman,
delivered a speech, of which excerpt is as follows:
I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
In unclear prospect of the global economy, year 2013 has started. We will need to recognize thattough circumstances surrounding the Japanese manufacturers are still continuous.
Looking back at our industry for 2012, the shipments of RAC, PAC and refrigeration equipment
exceeded the level of the previous year, which means growth continued for 3 years in a row, due torising awareness of energy-saving for the first half of the year, reconstruction demand from theGreat East Japan Earth Quake and the favorable summer weather. In addition, the shipments of
GHP increased considerably in the context of electricity supply that is predicted to be tight. In themeantime, the shipments of residential heat pump water heaters showed negative growth on ayear-on-year basis.
The previous year was a year in which we could manage to maintain our production at home, while
facing the tough tasks to achieve high targets for energy-saving in the summer time when we arebusy producing our products.
We held HVAC&R 2012 in February and hosted ICARHMA annual meeting in October. Following
the ICARHMA annual meeting, the 10th International Symposium on New Refrigerants andEnvironmental Technology was successfully held in November, to which we had more visitors fromoverseas than we had expected. Strong interest in the refrigerants was expressed globally. It wasindeed a fruitful symposium.
During the period from the end of previous year to beginning of this year, political leadershipchanged in U.S.A., China and Japan. Big changes in politics and economy are hopefully expected.
However, I want to make this year having plenty of spirit that we, by ourselves, break the stagnation
without seeking excuse into external factors. I believe that it would be a year in which bright signs,
such as strong stock market and depreciation of the Japanese yen, connect to our actual business.
We will try to push forward to strengthen the Japanese industries. At the same time, through1

playing a role in initiating the solution to global warming issues by our preeminent technologies forenergy-saving and new refrigerants, we will contribute to global economic growth.
Last year, we tackled 4 significant issues, which are appropriate contribution to global environment,
developments of standards, safety issues and international activities. This year, maintaining thesepolicies, we are taking an active role in cooperation with government authorities and our members.
We would like to ask for your continuous support.

2. Expectation for 2013
At the beginning of the year, Mr. Kishimoto, JRAIA President, expressed his expectation for 2013 asfollows;
Looking back on the year 2012, we could not see improvement signs for the European debt crisis
that were continuing from the previous year. In addition, economic growth of emerging countries like
China and India, which had been running in high gear, showed slowdown. Under the negative
circumstances, we can not break an impasse in economic stagnation yet. However, new politicalpower was formed in the main countries such as U.S.A. and China, accordingly, we expect thatdynamic policies for economic recovery would be introduced.
When we see our country, main industries sustaining Japanese economy are surrounded by serious
situation like anxiety about power shortage and the historic yen appreciation that is hitting hard theexport business. Despite such circumstances, replacement demand to higher energy-saving models
in Japan was expanded due to continuously growing awareness of energy-saving. Consequently, bothof residential and commercial air conditioner sales were up from the previous year for three years ina row. In addition, the shipments of gas engine-driven heat pumps increased greatly from the anxiety
about power supply shortage. In the meantime, the shipments of residential heat-pump water
heaters showed negative growth compared to the previous year.
In total, the shipment value of HVAC&R products increased by around 10% in 2012 on a
year-on-year basis due to favorable shipments of RACs, PACs, GHPs and commercial refrigerators.
In 2013, I think that the replacement of RACs to the higher energy-saving models has almost been
done, therefore, its demand would not expand further from 2012, though it depends on summerweather. The shipments of PACs and commercial refrigeration equipment can be expected toincrease due to the demand for reconstruction that will be driven forward by the new government.
Also, gas application air conditioners such as GHPs and absorption chillers are expected to increasesteadily due to continuous anxiety about power supply.
In overseas market, full-scale recovery of the demand would not be anticipated because the2European financial crisis seems likely not to reach a solution stage.
On the global environmental issues, JRAIA continues to take appropriate actions under the policyof ‘ Responsible Use of HFCs’ in cooperation with the government authorities. Especially, in 2013, wewill challenge to develop a guideline for safety use of the next generation refrigerants, consulting thetest data and simulation results on the risk. At the same time, we are going to pursue actively apossibility of the next generation refrigerants and its alternative technologies for HVAC&R
equipment.
With these actions, we will push forward to convert to the low GWP or natural refrigerants for thepotential products, and contribute to reduce the global warming impact caused by HFC refrigerants.

3. RAC and PAC Domestic Shipments
October 2012units

Y on Ybasis %

November 2012
units

December 2012

Y on Ybasis %units

Y on Ybasis %

RAC

283,06999.4

435,018105.8

583,136

100.7

PAC

52,982

94.1

56,40894.9

55,32090.1

RAC: Residential Air-conditioners PAC: Commercial Air-conditioners

Office: Kikai Shinko Bldg. 201. 3-5-8, Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0011, Japan
URL: http://www.jraia.or.jp Contact: tajima@jraia.or.jp:kao224@jraia.or.jp

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