Our History
Naoji Iwatani Shoten was established in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan and sales of oxygen, welding rods and carbide began.
Iwatani was established with capital of \198,000, and Mr. Naoji Iwatani, the founder of the company, became President.
The selling of Marui Propane products for the consumer market started.
The company became the sole agent in Japan of the AMA Company, Australia and further increased the volume of trade in mineral sand. Marui Propane was chosen for the lighting device for the Tokyo Olympic Torch.
Construction of the first fully-fledged liquid hydrogen production plant was completed and the supply of liquid hydrogen to all the H-model space development rockets to be launched in 1986 started.
(C) Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Iwatani started importing helium from US.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of company was marked.
Construction of the Sakai LPG Terminal (storage capacity: 80,000 tons or greater) was completed and import of LPG directly from the Petromin was started the following year.
The Iwatani logo was adopted. The Shiga Technical Center (in Moriyama) was established. Business cooperation with the NHK Symphony Orchestra was launched and the company was awarded "the Arima Award" by the orchestra in 1993.
Starting with the Dalian Iwatani Gas Machinery Co., Ltd., a joint venture with the city of Dalian, several joint ventures were launched in China.
Kashima LPG Joint Stockpiling Base (225,000 tons) and Kitsuregawa Separate Gas Plant were completed and started operation.
The Gas canister, Cassette-Feu, was urgently supplied to areas devastated by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.The company received the Excellent Prize at the 11th Corporate Communication Awards from the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations.
The 70th anniversary of the founding of the company was marked. Mr. Akiji Makino became President. LNG sales companies were established jointly with regional electric power companies at Kansai, Chubu and Hokuriku in 2000 and 2001. The world's first technology to run a diesel vehicle with LPG energy was developed in collaboration with the National Research Industrial Institute etc. "The Self-Stationα" - a simplified LPG filling system - was developed.
The construction of the "Hydrogen Station" in Yokohama was completed, following Japan's first Hydrogen Station in Osaka. The company took the initiative in building hydrogen infrastructure together with the development of Japan's first "Mobile Hydrogen Station".
The company became the first private business in Japan to buy two fuel-cell vehicles (Honda FCX and Toyota FCHV), and held exhibitions and test-drive events across the country. Construction of the company's third Hydrogen Station was completed in Ariake, Tokyo. A pickup truck and a welfare minibus using the next generation fuel, DME, were also co-developed.
Construction of Japan's third national LPG storage base, the Kamisu National LPG Stockpiling Base (storage capacity: 200,000 tons), was completed.
The company bought 'RX-8 Hydrogen RE', a hydrogen rotary engine vehicle developed by Mazda Motor Corporation.
Hydroedge Co., Ltd, jointly established with Sakai LNG Co., Ltd. in 2004, started operation for producing liquid hydrogen and air separation gases. The mid-term management plan, "PLAN 08", was unveiled to the public.
The company won the "Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Award" from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.
The company held the Hydrogen Energy Forum aiming at the early realization of hydrogen society.
Iwatani’s activities promoting hydrogen energy won the FujiSankei Business i Prize at the 18th Global Environment Awards. A joint program, Saudi Aramco-Iwatani Emergency LP Gas Relief Program was established. The construction of the first liquid hydrogen production plant in eastern Japan was completed at the Chiba Plant of Iwatani Industrial Gases Corporation. Full-fledged sales of residential fuel cell ENE-FARM began. Four hydrogen vehicles drove 626 kilometers from Sakai City to Kitakyushu City in the West Japan Hydrogen Highway Demonstration Project. Kitakyushu Hydrogen Station was completed and started operation. A motorized hydrogen bicycle having a portable pure hydrogen fuel cell was developed. Newly constructed Fukui LPG Center started operation.
Completed work on core LPG centers in 11 locations and continued to expand steadily. Installed solar hydrogen station at Saitama Prefectural Office. Developed Hydro Cut, a new hydrogen-based mixed gas for welding and cutting. Akiji Makino took office as Chairman and CEO. Toshio Watanabe was appointed Vice Chairman. Masao Nomura became President. Kanazawa LPG Center was relocated. Iwatani Industrial Gases Corporation reorganized into a wholly owned subsidiary by means of simplified share exchange.
We established a new hydrogen-supply company in collaboration with Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, and launched Japan's first commercial mobile hydrogen station through this company. We also opened Iwatani Hydrogen Station Shiba Park as a commercial hydrogen station near Tokyo Tower.
The construction of commercial hydrogen stations was completed at 20 locations mainly in the four major metropolitan areas.
The Company dispatched the Marui Gas Disaster Rescue Team to areas affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake and engaged in LP gas recovery operations. It contributed a donation of 10 million yen.
Mitsuhiro Tanimoto was appointed to the President of the Company. Established “Kanden Gas Support Shop Co., Inc.” and entered the electricity markets by forming business alliance with the Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. Established Track and Field Team, and assigned Hisakazu Hirose as a supervisor. Launched the very first Hydrogen Refueling Station, which enables filling hydrogen to Fuel Cell busses, in Ariake, Tokyo.
Participated in “Japan H2 Mobility, LCC (JHyM),” which was established to accelerate the development of Hydrogen Refueling Station. Supplied Hydrogen as fuel of the torch in the 73th National Sports Festival & the 18th National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities.
50th Anniversary of our sales of “Cassette-Feu.” Established “Tokyo Helium Center,” which is the Japan’s largest-scale helium center. Iwatani Corporation of America acquired 4 Hydrogen Refueling Stations in California, U.S.
Hiroshi Majima was appointed to the President of the Company.
