Company
Outline
- Trading name
- Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd (in Japanese: Maikuroha Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha)
- Established
- 15 August 2007
- Representative
- Iwao Yoshino
- Number of employees
- 49 (as of 31 March 2025)
- Business activities
- Providing one-stop solutions from Research and Development stage to Engineering for commercial plant stage, using the Microwave technology platform MWCC has
Team
Leadership Team
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President and CEO
Iwao Yoshino
Yoshino graduated from Keio University’s Faculty of Law in 1990 and received an MBA from UC Berkeley in 2002, where he was a Hitachi Fellow in the Management of Technology program. After working for Mitsui & Co.’s Chemical Department, he retired to pursue investing and consulting in the USA. In August 2007, he established Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd and became its Chairman & CEO, a position he currently holds.
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Director and CSO
Yasunori Tsukahara
Tsukahara received his PhD from Osaka University’s Graduate School of Science in 2003. He then joined the university’s Graduate School of Engineering as a specially appointed project researcher in 2004. He was named a specially appointed faculty member at the same school in 2006 and became an associate professor in 2018. In 2023, he was appointed Invited Professor at the same graduate school. He specializes in microwave chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and photochemistry.
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General Manager Business Development Department
Yuri Katoda
Katoda graduated from Keio University’s Faculty of Law in 2007. After engaging in multiple projects at Sojitz Corporation, primarily in gas chemical plant and waste-related businesses, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. in 2024 as General Manager Business Development Department.
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General Manager, Business Promotion Department
Yohei Nagai
Nagai graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering in 2004 and received a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the same university in 2006. He engaged in product development, planning, and project management for multiple development initiatives at Keyence Corporation. In 2024, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. as General Manager, Business Promotion Department.
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General Manager Engineering Department
Kazuyuki Yokoyama
Yokoyama graduated from the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University, where he completed his Master’s degree in Applied Fine Chemistry in 1991. He engaged in project management for petrochemical products at Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. In 2025, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. as General Manager of the Engineering Department.
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General Manager / Ph.D. R&D Department
Toshihiko Ogata
Ogata graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2004 and completed his PhD at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the same university in 2009. He worked on R&D of chemical products and development of lithium-ion battery materials at Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. In 2019, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.
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Director, Finance and Investor Relations
Nao Ikemoto
Ikemoto received a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2015. He began his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, and later led management and financial strategy at a biotech venture. In 2023, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. as Director, Finance and Investor Relations.
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General Manager Business Administration
Yuta Saito
Saito graduated from the Faculty of Business Administration at Kobe University in 2013. He engaged in a wide range of accounting and finance duties at Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. (currently Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.). He then participated in operational improvement projects at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC. In 2024, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.
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Project Leader Oscillator Project
Shuichi Aizawa
Aizawa graduated from the Department of Electronics at Nippon Engineering College in March 1986. He served as Division Manager and General Manager of the Technology Headquarters at Nihon Koshuha Co., Ltd. From 1997 to 2008, he was seconded to the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. As an expert in high-power microwave devices, he brings extensive experience and knowledge to the team. In 2025, he joined Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.
Board Members
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Outside director
Koyu Urata
After working for Sony Corporation, McKinsey & Company Inc. Japan, and Japan Investment Corporation, Urata established Japan Material Technologies Corporation in August 2015, where he has served as the Representative Director to the present day. In June 2023, he was appointed as an outside director of Microwave Chemical Co.,Ltd. (present).
He graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law in 2002. -
Director(Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Tomoya Shimojo
Shimojo engaged in statutory audit and listing preparation support services at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC. Before joining Microwave Chemical Co.,Ltd. in November 2013, he was a Director and General Manager of the Corporate Management Department at Kringle Pharma, Inc.
At Microwave Chemical Co.,Ltd., he served as Director and General Manager of the Administration Department and has been in his current position since June 2023.
He graduated from Kobe University, Faculty of Business Administration in 1996. He is a Certified Public Accountant. -
Outside director(Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Yuko Takahashi
After working for an auditing firm, Takahashi joined DENTSU INC., where she managed international group companies and oversaw group accounting and financial operations. She served as a non-executive director of Dentsu Group Inc. from 2022 to 2023, and currently serves as an outside director of Hulic Co., Ltd. and an outside auditor of 17LIVE Corporation.
She graduated from Sophia University with a Bachelor of Laws and completed her Master’s degree at the University of Warwick in the UK. She is a Certified Public Accountant. -
Outside director(Audit and Supervisory Committee Member)
Shuichi Saito
After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan University with a degree in Engineering, Saito joined Recruit Co., Ltd., where he specialized in legal affairs and IT governance. In 2013, he became a full-time auditor of Hamee Corp. and contributed to its IPO, after which he served on its board of directors. In 2021, he founded 83FOUNDATION to foster sustainability and entrepreneurial support.
Saito also serves as an outside director for various major and emerging companies.
IP Strategists/Consultant Patent Attorneys
Uchida & Samejima Law Firm
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Masahiro Samejima
Lawyer/Patent Attorney
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Yuichi Sugio,
Lawyer/Patent Attorney
Corporate Legal/General Counsel
Eiko Sogo, Law Office
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Gou Morita
Lawyer
History
- 2007August
- Microwave Environmental Chemicals Co., Ltd established in Kyoto, Japan, to commercialize microwave chemical processes.
- 2008October
- Head office relocated to Saito Bio Innovation Centre.
- 2009March
- First fully flow-type reactor (MWF-1 – for biodiesel) launched from the Shimaya business incubator in Osaka.
- 2011January
- UTEC (University of Tokyo Edge Capital) subscribed to Series A private placement, for a total of JPY 120 million.
- March
- Second fully flow-type reactor (MWF-2 – for manufacturing chemical products) launched from the Kobe Municipal Manufacturing Reconstruction Plant.
- June
- Came third out of 24 companies selected internationally for bizbarcelona’s Global Entrepreneurship Competition.
- November
- Company name changed from Microwave Environmental Chemicals Co., Ltd to Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.
- December
- Granted dominant patent for “Chemical reaction apparatus and chemical reaction method”.
- 2012August
- Fatty acid esters, the first product from the Kobe Plant, shipped to Toyo Ink Co., Ltd.
- October
- Head office relocated to Osaka University’s Suita Campus.
- 2013May
- UTEC, NVCC, Shinsei Bank and JAFCO subscribed to Series B private placement, for a total of over JPY 700 million, aimed at accelerating R&D and establishing the Osaka Plant.
- 2014March
- Construction of Osaka Plant (M3K/) completed.
- June
- INCJ, JAFCO, UTEC and NVCC subscribed to Series C private placement, for a total of JPY 1.2 billion, aimed at launching new businesses and strengthening next generation pipeline R&D. Relocated to 3F of the Techno Alliance building.
- October
- Concluded co-development agreement with BASF to improve energy efficiency in polymer production processes.
- 2015April
- Established TMT Co., Ltd, a joint venture with Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd to produce food additives.
- November
- Series D private placement, for a total of JPY 880 million, aimed at funding the construction of a new plant as a joint venture with Taiyo Kagaku, and as development funds for further expansion of MWCC’s areas of business.
- 2017March
- TMT completed construction of microwave-based food additive manufacturing plant in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
Series E private placement of a total of JPY 400 million, aimed at further expanding the joint venture plant business and strengthening the development structure.
- September
- Concluded strategic capital alliance with Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. for joint R&D of new microwave-based chemical processes and systems.
- November
- Concluded strategic business alliance with Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd to promote the sophistication of microwave-assisted production processes and the development of new functional materials.
Concluded strategic business alliance with Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd to reinvent existing production processes and develop new materials using microwaves.
- December
- Concluded strategic capital and business alliance with Iwatani Corporation for full-scale entry into the next-generation materials sector.
- 2019May
- Completion of Pilot Facility No. 2 at Osaka Plant.
- November
- In order to strengthen our R&D foundation, including talent acquisition and infrastructure development, we completed a third-party allocation of shares in a Series G financing round totaling JPY 770 million.
- 2022June
- Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market.
- 2024March
- Completed construction of Pilot Facility No. 3 at the Osaka Plant to conduct large-scale tests.
- December
- Completed the liquidation of the affiliated company TMT Co., Ltd.
- 2025June
- Established the Yokohama Lab to initiate the full-scale implementation of the in-house microwave oscillator development project.