Business · Companies · 11 hrs ago
Nippon Paper ends paper and pulp production at quake-hit Yatsushiro plant
Nippon Paper will stop making graphic paper and pulp at its Yatsushiro plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, after a July 2026 earthquake badly damaged the site.
The quake toppled a chimney and killed nine people who were caught beneath it, while also severely damaging production equipment.
The company said repairs would take three to four years, and decided not to restore production.
The shutdown brings forward a change already planned: Japan's demand for newspaper, book and copy paper has fallen to less than half its level 20 years ago.
Nippon Paper had planned to invest about 30 billion yen to turn Yatsushiro into a tissue-paper production site by 2028, but the quake disrupted that plan.
About 400 plant employees and a similar number at partner firms face uncertainty, with possible effects on local transport, forestry and other suppliers.
The company has not said what will happen next to the site or those jobs.
Nippon Paper has decided to end paper and pulp production at its quake-damaged Yatsushiro plant in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The July 2026 earthquake collapsed a chimney, killing nine people who were caught beneath it and severely damaging production equipment.
The company said restoring the equipment would take about three to four years.
The plant had been expected to shift from graphic paper production to household paper, including tissues.
The decision raises concerns about jobs at the plant and among contractors, as well as effects on local supply chains.
- Who
- Nippon Paper.
- What
- It has decided to end paper and pulp production at its Yatsushiro plant.
- When
- The decision was reported on November 6, 2026.
- Where
- The plant is in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
- Why
- The plant was severely damaged by an earthquake, and restoring its equipment would take about three to four years.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
An earthquake damaged the Yatsushiro plant and collapsed a chimney, killing nine people caught beneath it.
Nippon Paper said it would end paper and pulp production at the plant after determining that restoration would take about three to four years.
- Plant
- Yatsushiro plant, Kumamoto Prefecture
- Earthquake
- July 2026
- Fatalities
- 9 people
- Estimated restoration time
- 3–4 years
- Plant employees
- About 400
- Planned household paper investment
- About ¥30 billion
What people are saying
Restoration is extremely difficult.