Thinner Prices More Than Double as Naphtha Shock Eases but Costs Bite

Jul 08, 2026 | News On Japan

NAGOYA - Marutake Tosou, a painting company founded about 50 years ago in Nagoya’s Nishi Ward, handles exterior walls and other building projects. Its workshop is lined with cans of thinner, an essential material used for sanding products and diluting paint, but at the end of April the company was struggling to secure supplies.

Asked in April how much thinner the company used in a day, Executive Director Atsushi Matsukawa said, "We easily use two or three cans a day. Since the end of March, the amount coming in has been shrinking. Some products are not coming in at all."

The problem continued into late May. Asked how much stock remained, Matsukawa said, "We still have a little, but it will not last through June. I ask the wholesaler every day to do something quickly."

The supply situation has since changed. Asked about current conditions, Matsukawa said, "If we place orders while keeping the volume within certain limits, products come in normally." He said the company has gradually been able to secure the necessary quantities since June.

The main remaining shortage is PP bands, the plastic straps used to fasten goods. "The biggest shortage now is PP bands. They are not coming in. We only have a few left in stock," Matsukawa said. "We will use what we have while it lasts, and when it runs out, we will make do with thinner bands."

Marutake Tosou can now secure most of the materials used in painting work, including thinner, paint and vinyl products, but the major problem is price. A 16-liter can of thinner cost 4,600 yen until March, but now costs 9,500 yen, more than double. Some paints have risen by more than 20,000 yen over the past few months.

Painting fees, however, are set by prime contractors such as housebuilders, making it difficult for subcontractors to raise prices easily. The burden on small operators is continuing to grow.

Asked about the impact on the painting industry, Matsukawa said, "It is truly a major blow. No one thought it would become this bad."

The U.S. attack on Iran has added to those concerns, raising fears that the turmoil seen earlier this year could return. Asked what would happen if tensions in the Middle East worsened further, Matsukawa said, "There is a possibility we could go back to the situation from two months ago, when nothing could be done."

Source: CBC

Okinawa Braces for Violent Winds as Typhoon No. 9 Nears

Large and very strong Typhoon No. 9 (Bavi) was moving west-northwest east of the Philippines as of early July 9 and is forecast to turn north while maintaining very strong intensity, potentially making a direct pass over Okinawa’s Sakishima Islands from the night of July 10 into July 11.

Akie Abe Reflects on Husband’s Killing Four Years Later

Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has said she is only now becoming able to grieve honestly over her husband’s death, four years after he was shot and killed during an election campaign speech in Nara.

Shizuoka Approves Start of Maglev Construction After Nine-Year Dispute

A nine-year dispute over the Linear Chuo Shinkansen effectively came to an end on July 7 as Shizuoka Governor Yasutomo Suzuki told the prefectural assembly that he would allow Central Japan Railway to begin construction on the Shizuoka section of the project.

Japan Lowers Passport Fees to 7,000 yen

Japan lowered passport application fees from July 1, drawing large crowds to application counters such as the one in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, although applicants are being warned that issuance could take as long as about one month.

Tokyo to Set Accommodation Tax at 3% From Next April

Tokyo will introduce a 3% accommodation tax on hotel and other lodging stays from April 2027, formally replacing its current flat-rate system and extending the levy to private lodging services.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Oil Crisis NEWS

Thinner Prices More Than Double as Naphtha Shock Eases but Costs Bite

Marutake Tosou, a painting company founded about 50 years ago in Nagoya’s Nishi Ward, handles exterior walls and other building projects. Its workshop is lined with cans of thinner, an essential material used for sanding products and diluting paint, but at the end of April the company was struggling to secure supplies.

Dental Clinics Face Higher Costs From Naphtha Shock

Dental clinics are facing higher costs for gloves, masks and other supplies made from naphtha-derived materials, even as shortages ease following renewed conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted naphtha supplies.

Crude Falls Toward Earlier Levels As Household Costs Keep Climbing

Crude oil prices have plunged to the low $70 range per barrel following the signing of a memorandum aimed at ending fighting between the United States and Iran, but while the immediate risk of an energy crisis appears to have eased, economists warn that price increases for electricity, food and everyday goods may still be about to intensify.

Japan Moves to Ease Thinner Shortage as Naphtha Shock Hits Builders

Japan will begin a new system on June 23 to sell paint and thinner directly from manufacturers to construction firms and other businesses, aiming to ease supply bottlenecks and curb price increases as worsening conditions in the Middle East make such materials harder to obtain.

Recycling Technology Takes On Naphtha Shortage

Japan's reliance on Middle Eastern crude oil has left manufacturers exposed to rising costs for plastic containers, ink and other products that use naphtha, but JEPLAN President Masaki Takao is pushing a recycling technology that could reduce the need for petroleum-derived raw materials by turning used plastic back into material close to new.

Middle East Tensions Hit Local Rice Balls

A rice ball chain based in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, is feeling the effects of turmoil in the Middle East through higher costs and supply shortages for packaging film and other materials essential to selling onigiri.

IEA Sees Oil Oversupply in 2027 if Iran War Ends

The global oil market could face a major supply surplus in 2027 if the United States and Iran maintain an agreement aimed at ending hostilities, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report released on June 17.

Calbee's Black-and-White Potato Chips Reach Store Shelves

Calbee's potato chips in black-and-white packaging appeared on convenience store shelves in Tokyo on June 17, reflecting the company's response to concerns over the stability of printing ink supplies derived from naphtha as tensions in the Middle East disrupted procurement.

< 2 3 4 5 >