Sumitomo's Shirakawa plant resumes production after Japan quake and offers relief aid to the communities affected

Japan: March 23, 2011: Sumitomo Rubber's Shirakawa Factory has resumed its operations on Tuesday
March 22nd.  The operations had been suspended since the earthquake and
tsunami that hit northern Japan on March 11th. In parallel, the company has
announced a relief package of 200 million Yen, including the production of
100 million Yen of urgently needed supplies to support communities affected
by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku Pacific Region.

As previously confirmed, the factory was safe and there was no serious
damage to the facilities and equipment. SRI employees have been working hard
to restart the operations and on Tuesday March 22nd  the company resumed
production of passenger car and light truck tyres in limited sizes. SRI
expects to produce truck and bus tyres by the end of this week.  The
production quantity will be increased gradually, depending on power supply,
distribution, material procurement and other circumstances.

Following its own experiences of the earthquake and witnessing the
disruption caused, SRI has announced a comprehensive relief package
totalling 200 million Yen. It will include producing crucial supplies that
are urgently needed such as gloves, wheelchair ramps and gas pipes for
temporary housing. SRI offers this crucial equipment to provide support for
the communities devastated by the terrible events in the Tohoku region.

*Profile of Shirakawa Factory (as of end-2010)*

Location: Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
Employees:      1,581
Start of Operations:      1974
Products:  Automotive tyres
Production Capacity:     10,350 tons/month (new rubber consumption)
Site Area:   604,000