Source: Nikkei Chinese Network
Honorary researcher Yoshino, an honorary researcher, who contributed to the development of lithium ion batteries, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.Sony and other Japanese companies have cultivated the related markets of lithium batteries and promoted the development of smartphones and pure electric vehicles (EV).However, the rise of Chinese and Korean companies today has formed a three -legged competition with Japan.Japan's former halo gradually faded, and the search for the survival of the battery market became a topic.
On October 9, at a press conference held in Tokyo, Yoshino, who was determined to win the Nobel Prize, continued to propose issues such as the rise of Chinese and Korean enterprises in the battery market.Yoshino replied: From the perspective of the battery itself, it is true.However, he said that Japan still maintains its advantages in the isolation layer (insulation material), positive and negative poles for batteries. Yoshino emphasized that Japan has the advantage of battery materials while revealing the crisis of chasing the attack on Chinese and Korean companies.
Lithium batteries were first practiced by Sony in 1991 by Sony.Behind it is the contribution of Yuhua, which belongs to Yoshino, to become a representative, various raw material manufacturers and electronic companies.At that time, it was the era of upstream basic technologies and downstream product development capabilities.Including Toshiba and Yuan Sanyo Electric, as of the 2000s, Japanese companies can be described as the first in development and production.
But since the second half of the 2000s, South Korean companies have begun to rise first.Samsung SDI and LG chemistry rapidly increase production capacity.In the second half of the 2010, Chinese companies joined the market share.Taking government subsidies as Dongfeng, Chinese companies have rapidly expanded their share in the field of pure electric vehicles.
The earliest market share of Japanese companies was consumer such as smartphones.In the competition with Chinese and Korean companies, Japanese home appliances and electronic companies, which originally belonged to large customers, have lost their personal computers and smartphone businesses. The shrinking and sales of business have appeared.
In addition, the battery has a huge impact.Related industries have entered the era of no longer decided with technical strength, but in the era of large -scale equipment investment and production efficiency to improve their revenue, and Japanese companies have begun to fall behind.
Even in the car fields such as pure electric vehicles that drive in the future, the rapid development of Chinese companies is very prominent.According to the statistics of the investigation company Techno Systems Research, as of 2013, three major Japanese companies such as Panasonic had nearly 7 % of the world's share (calculated by capacity).But by 2017, the Ningde Times New Energy Technology (CATL) exceeded Panasonic and took the world's first throne.Other Chinese companies such as BYD also quickly improve their strength.
Panasonic will adopt a new car battery company with Toyota at the end of 2020 to make a comeback.In the field of battery components, Mitsubishi Chemical and Ubizxing produced competition with China. In early 2018, the business in China was integrated in China.
Japanese companies do not see light.If the practicality of the new generation of batteries led by Japan in development is successful, it may regain its advantages again.It is expected that the practical full -solid battery in the 2020s is easier to achieve large -capacity compared with lithium batteries, and at the same time, it also has an advantage in lightweight and durability.
The lithium battery derived from Japan has changed the entire electronics industry, but like semiconductors, the cycle of rising and declining is very short.The Nobel Prize in Yoshino is good news for Japan, but behind it, the severe reality of international competition is now emerging.
