Naotaka Kondo

Mr. Kondo joined Toyo Tanso in 1985 and has held successive senior leadership positions, including Director (1994), Managing Executive Officer (2000), Senior Managing Director (2003), and Representative Director and Senior Vice President (2007). He was
appointed President in 2009 and has served as Chairman, President and CEO since 2018. Throughout his tenure, he has led the company’s sustained growth and innovation in advanced materials, contributing to the development and global adoption of high-performance carbon technologies. In recognition of his leadership and contributions to the advancement of materials science and industry, he received the Medal for Leadership in the Advancement of Ceramic Technology (Outside the Americas) from The American Ceramic Society in 2025.

Abstract Title: Special carbon material products with unique properties used in high-tech industries and their applications

Our company was the first in the world to successfully industrialize isotropic graphite blocks, also known as special graphite, a type of artificial graphite, a carbon material, in 1974. Currently, we have a global presence and serve customers worldwide. Based on the spirit of creating something unprecedented, we possess technical departments encompassing everything from basic research to product development. To meet the demands for new technological innovations from researchers, engineers, and market users, we collaborate with our users to advance technological development, improving our own technological capabilities while developing unique products such as improved isotropic graphite properties, composite carbon products with other ceramics, and new process technologies. Even products composed solely of element C are constantly evolving, through techniques such as high-density graphite production using precise powder control technology and ultra-high-purity technology using halogen gases. In particular, our products are used somewhere in technological products that support our convenient lives, including semiconductor manufacturing in the electronics industry, next-generation reactor components in the energy sector, medical applications, and aerospace-related technologies. This lecture will introduce our carbon material manufacturing processes, their unique properties, and the applications in which these materials are used.