Starting July 1st, permanent shutdown announced by Japan's chemical giant—delivering a stinging rebuke to Sanae Haga!

Japan's Kanto Electric Chemical Industry and Chuo Glass have formally informed major chip clients such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and TSMC that their tungsten hexafluoride inventory will only last until the end of June, with permanent production halt beginning July 1st.

Together, these two companies account for approximately 25% of global tungsten hexafluoride capacity, with an annual output of about 2,000 to 2,200 tons. The primary reason for the shutdown is the continued tightening of China’s export controls on high-purity tungsten powder, resulting in severe shortages of raw materials for these firms.

Sanae Haga’s earlier remarks have now received their due consequence. Despite her previous public statements asserting that export restrictions would not disrupt Japanese companies’ normal operations, confidently claiming Japan’s strength and resilience could withstand any conflict,

grandiose words cannot overcome cold, hard facts. Customs data shows that from February to April 2026, China exported zero high-purity tungsten powder to Japan for three consecutive months. In May, figures remained low, with certain key tungsten products still seeing zero exports to Japan.

Between 60% and 70% of the production cost of tungsten hexafluoride comes from high-purity tungsten powder. Japan has almost no domestic tungsten ore resources, previously importing over 90% of its tungsten raw materials from China. China holds around 52% to 55% of the world’s tungsten reserves and accounts for more than 80% of global production. With upstream raw material supply severed, Kanto Electric Chemical and Chuo Glass had no choice but to rely on past inventories to barely sustain production. Within just a few short months, raw material stockpiles have been completely exhausted.

Sanae Haga’s boastful claim of “unaffected” now sounds like a slap across her own face.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868771825103872/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author