ASUKA ALUMINIUM NEWS NO. 631 JANUARY 2014
Greetings for 2014
Takashi Amano, President
It is a great pleasure to extend to one and all our most cordial greetings of the New
Year, 2014. In keeping with custom, kindly allow me to make a few remarks as theNew Year begins.
*
Every year end, one written character to typify the social situation is selected,
which in 2013 was that for “Ring”. Very fortunately in the year end, the attempt tobring the 2020 Olympic Games to Tokyo has made a great coup.
The symbolic character “Ring” and “Olympic Rings” joined really marvelously andmysteriously. The people expect heartily our economic activity will be robust towardthe 2020 Olympic Games.
*The recent survey by the Ministry of Education and Science reports the eyesight ofboys and girls is getting poorer. The 65.8% of high school students have nottwenty-twenty vision, which is the worst record.
It is thought that the poorer eyesight arises from the recent smartphone’s enormous popularity among young people. And furthermore I am afraid that suchsmartphone maniacｓ are buried in a virtual society with SNS, and they can’t conduct
themselves in real society, having poor ability of conversation among lacked realhuman relations.
I think it the worst “Ring” today, and I expect that the young people exploit effectively this social big “Ring” within our real society and without being in virtualsociety easily.
*The yen devaluation has brought a better export condition, but at the same time,
we confront the higher costs of energy and various imported raw materials.
Very fortunately, we have favorably established a new production system with thelatest facilities at our new plant, and besides, the site of old plant is under construction
for a new shopping mall.
We want our business will be loved more and more by all citizens. We would like tomake efforts fully ourselves for it with a big support of all business contacts.
May you and yours be happy and prosperous in the New Year, 2014.
Mikawa Comic celebrates the New Year
Mikawa Comic is one of the New Year events in Nishio area, and it has been performing every January since 750 years ago. It has declared an intangible cultural asset
by Japanese government in December 1995.
There are some stories of origin, and the most predominant history is the traditionof Buddhism priest Otsu at Jissoji Temple in Nishio, who went to China and studied
Buddhism in 13 century, and he brought a Chinese music to his home town.
The wood block print on page three is Mikawa Comic performance, which wasworked by a pupil at Nishio Primary School.

Asahan Aluminum withdraws from Indonesia
Asahan aluminum project in Indonesia started to build a big power station with therich water of Asahan river and a newest aluminum refining plant by the joint investment of Japanese government, Japanese aluminum refiners, Japanese trading
companies and Indonesian government.
At first, this great project was agreed between Japan government and Indonesia
government in 1975 to aim at both the development of Indonesian economy and thestable primary aluminum supply to Japan.
Japan side, Indonesia Asahan Aluminum Company, was established with 5
aluminum refining companies and 6 trading companies, and then the company andJapanese government invested 400 billion yen and more.
The biggest capacity of power station has 51,000Kw, and the output capacity ofprimary aluminum is 250,000 ton yearly, in which 150,000 ton was exported to Japan
yearly. It corresponds to 60 per cent of the products, and 6 per cent of total demand inJapan.
The basic agreement between both countries had an acquisition right of Indonesia,
and this year is the limited term. On December 9, Indonesia Asahan Aluminum
Company revealed that all Japan side stocks transfer at 57 billion yen to Indonesian
government, and withdraws completely from Indonesian project.
Since the start of production in 1983, the yen evaluation and the lackluster international aluminum market have been giving a very hard running. The ending of thisinternational project taught us how difficult the prospects were.
The products will be shipped to Indonesian domestic market only. The photo on
page three is the plant of Indonesia Asahan Aluminum refining plant.
The 30th New Year praying meeting is near
The 30th business prosperity and traffic safety praying meeting is going to be heldon January 17 at the Kira Kanko Hotel , Kira Waikiki Beach in Mikawa Bay National
Park, and the Kannon Temple, top of Mt. Sangane.
At first, Chairman Hisashi Amano will have a talk entitled “New Year random talk”
at the hotel, and then all attendants will visit the Kannon Temple by bus. After business prosperity and traffic safety praying meeting, a grand New Year party will be heldat the hotel in traditional Japanese fashion.
All arrangements completed, and all we have to do is welcome guests. The photo on
page four is the Kira Kanko Hotel.
Company news
On December 25, a staff convivial meeting was held, at which 14 full attendances
below were awarded.
Mr. Hirota Sukigara, Mr. Yasuhiko Nagata, Mr. bunji Yamauchi, Mr. Tetsuaki Adachi,
Mr. Jelson Iida, Mr. Motoro Suzuki, Ms. Manami Kameyama, Ms. Ayumi Tani, Ms.
Yaeko Inagaki, Mr. Norio Nagata, Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki, Mr. Tomohiro Tomatsu, Mr.
Taisuke Suzuki, Ms. Yuri Kodama.
Congratulations everyone! Let us keep good health this year, too.