News Release

Dowa Eco-System Subsidiaries Become First Approved Operators of Contaminated Soil Treatment Business in Japan

TOKYO, April 1, 2010 – Eco-System Hanaoka Co., Ltd. and Eco-System Akita Co., Ltd., two wholly owned subsidiaries of Dowa Eco-System Co., Ltd. (14-1,Sotokanda 4-Chome. Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Capital: ¥1,000 million; President: Yoshito Koga), a subsidiary of Dowa Holdings Co., Ltd. (same location; Capital: ¥36,400 million; President: Masao Yamada), today obtained from the governor of Akita Prefecture approval to operate a contaminated soil treatment business, as prescribed in “Regulations Concerning Shipment of Contaminated Soil, etc.” set forth under the “Act for Partial Amendment of the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act” (the Amended Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act, introduced on April 1, 2010).

The Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act of February 2003 has been reviewed from perspectives such as preventing the spread of contamination by improper treatment of contaminated soil. As a result, since April 1, 2010, when the Amended Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act came into force, only companies with approval to engage in the contaminated soil treatment business are able to treat contaminated soil. The Dowa Group obtained the approval for the contaminated soil treatment business ahead of its competitors, with the aims of ensuring proper soil treatment in compliance with the Amended Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act and meeting customer demands for external treatment of contaminated soil following the introduction of the amended Act.

Eco-System Hanaoka and Eco-System Akita have achieved steady results in contaminated soil treatment following their authorization as Japan’s first contaminated soil treatment facilities in July 2003. (The two companies combined have treated approximately 2,300,000 tons of soil.) In addition, in the area of operations management, the companies have raised their criteria for operations, including environmental management, as well as facility maintenance and management, to treat contaminated soil more effectively. The Dowa Group believes that recognition of their track record enabled Eco-System Hanaoka and Eco-System Akita to obtain approval for the contaminated soil treatment business ahead of their competitors.

With its soil remediation business, the Dowa Group is able to offer consistent services that range from investigation through remediation and treatment to monitoring. The Group owns diverse onsite, in-situ soil treatment technologies, including those for chemical decomposition and biodegradation. The capacity to treat a wide range of contaminated soil, using the adjoining infrastructure for industrial waste disposal and recycling, characterizes the Group’s soil remediation business. The Dowa Group plans to continue to expand and improve its soil remediation business, accurately identifying customer needs for addressing legal amendments and treating soil in more effective ways.

Summary of Treatment Facilities

Eco-System Hanaoka Co., Ltd. (approval number 0051010101,0051001102)

• Facilities for separation
• Facilities for treatment: extraction (such as washing), decomposition and insolubilization
• Facilities for landfilling

Eco-System Akita Co., Ltd. (approval number 0051000103)

• Facilities for treatment: heat decomposition