7 May 2014
To whom it may concern
Showa Holdings Co., Ltd.
Mamoru Shigeta,
Representative Executive Officer and Managing Director(Code 5103 Tokyo Stock Exchange)
Contact: Tomohiko Shoji, Executive Officer(Tel: 04-7131-0181)
Japan Rubber Weekly An interview with Showa Rubber’s Managing Director, Tadashi Watanabe
An interview article with The Managing Director of our rubber business subsidiary,Showa Rubber Co., Ltd., Tadashi Watanabe was published in the Japan Rubber Weekly
on 21 April 2014 and its website.
[Japan Rubber Weekly website URL]
http://www.posty.co.jp/np/atcl/?id=1398140449-637218

The interview also mentioned the business alliance with Tokiwa Rubber since December
last year and the progress and outlook of the medium term business management plan
“Rubber Business Acceleration Plan 2012”.
The business alliance has strengthened our sales and procurement network. Not only
will it contribute to the market development within the local markets, but will also
contribute greatly to the “pioneer of new ASEAN markets” and becoming “Asia’s No.1
Rubber Liner”.
Together with another announcement from us today, ' to appoint Malaysian MD inMalaysian Subsidiary', we state our strong commitment to expand our business all over
ASIA as GLOCAL.

Following is the translated version of the article:
Showa Rubber (head office located in Toyofuta, Kashiwa City), a company under Showa
Holdings, has entered into a business alliance with industrial rubber product agent,Tokiwa Rubber (head office located in Katsushika district, Tokyo) in December last year.
Both companies have announced that they will join hands with aims to restore therubber business. We have interviewed Mr. Tadashi Watanabe on the aims of the businessalliance and future prospects of the rubber business.
■Purpose of the Business Alliance
Tokiwa Rubber was founded by one of Showa Rubber’s employee after leaving thecompany and since then we have had over 50 years of business connections with Tokiwa
Rubber. Tokiwa Rubber played a cooperative role as our agent, but due to thecontraction of the rubber business, we withdrew the rubber stopper for medical
equipment in 1997, rubber rolls in 2003 and other rubber products, which also affected
the business with Tokiwa Rubber about 15 years ago. However, since the changeover of
new managements of our group in 2009, we have once again built up the trust withTokiwa Rubber and have agreed to work together to expand the rubber business of bothcompanies. Other than that, sales of Tokiwa Rubber have been sluggish since theLehman Shock in 2008 and the elderly current Managing Director, Ichiro Nishida (age73) with no successors is also one of the contexts.
■Details of the Business Alliance
The main objectives of the business alliance are 1. To consider cutting costs bycooperative purchasing of materials and supplies; 2. To consider expanding sales bymutual extension of customers; 3. Cooperative pioneer of international markets andsuppliers; 4. Joint development of new products; 5. Deployment of personnel from ourcompany required by Tokiwa Rubber; 6. Aid for the financial stability of Tokiwa Rubber.
The business alliance was initiated mid-December last year and matters 2, 3, 5 arealready underway. Specifically speaking, we are providing Tokiwa Rubber with technicalservices for customers, cooperation in business matching and support. In overseasmarket, Tokiwa Rubber has a subcontract factory in China, and we will also fully utilize
Showa Holdings’ Tsingtao Representative Office in China. Our company director,Yamaguchi, has been appointed as Tokiwa Rubber’s director as well in terms ofpersonnel deployment.
■Future Prospects of the Alliance
We plan to achieve profitability and further expand and develop the business of bothcompanies by executing the business alliance. I believe that this will further deepen ourrelationship.
■Showa Rubber is now putting its medium term management plan “RubberBusiness Acceleration Plan 2012” into action. What are the contents?
The Rubber Business Acceleration Plan 2012 is a 3 year plan beginning in 2012 andending in 2014, focusing on 1. Challenging and pioneering the ASEAN infrastructure
markets and medical markets which has high growth expectations; 2. Cooperation withsister company, Showa Rubber Malaysia, in the rubber lining business with the aim tobecome Asia’s No.1 Rubber Liner; 3. Cultivation of processing and development

engineers to build a collective team of engineers within the company – as the 3 main
pillars of the rubber business.
■How is the progress in the final year?
Our parent company, Showa Holdings, has acquired the manufacturing facilities,
intellectual property rights of the former News Polymer co.,ltd. and made it our Hitachi
Omiya Factory in February 2012. We have then utilized the resources of former News
Polymer co.,ltd. to pioneer the infrastructure markets for rail tracks and bridges. Themain objective of our rubber lining business, which is also our core business, is to target
ASEAN, India, Middle Eastern markets. We are also emphasizing on the pioneer ofIndonesian and Vietnam markets with great response. We aim to be “Asia’s No.1 Rubber
Liner “in 3 years’ time. (2016)

Thank you.