New Base of Operation for the Expanding South American Market

Opening Ceremony Held to Kick Off Kuraray’s Local Brazilian Subsidiary Kuraray South America, Which Will Commence Full-Scale Market Development of Kuraray Group Products

Kuraray Co., Ltd. (President: Fumio Ito; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; hereafter “Kuraray”) held an opening ceremony in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 12, 2011 to mark the start of its local Brazilian subsidiary, Kuraray South America, which was established in 2010. The new subsidiary will serve as a base to undertake sales and market development of Kuraray Group products in South America, reflecting the importance of accelerating global strategies for Kuraray’s core businesses.

During the ceremony, President Ito greeted those in attendance with the following remarks:

“Brazil and the rest of South America have enjoyed remarkable growth, making the region an indispensable aspect of Kuraray’s global strategy. In particular, amid forecasts that Brazil will continue to experience significant economic growth, I am certain that Kuraray Group technologies and products will make a major contribution to Brazil’s development.”

Kuraray will fully utilize Kuraray South America as a base for marketing Group products with the aim of further promoting the development of the South American market, which displays considerable growth potential.