Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Akira Ohira), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Kanji Shono) and Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Hideo Fukutani) have decided to expand the facility for polycarbonate (PC) resin production by interfacial polymerization by an annual capacity of 70,000 tons at Mitsubishi Gas Chemical's Kashima Plant, with the new operations scheduled to begin early in 2002. With the additional capacity, annual production at the plant will reach roughly 100,000 tons. The plant will produce 30,000 tons of optical grade PC and 70,000 tons of standard grade PC annually. Under the current plan, domestic production will be consolidated into two locations, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical's Kashima Plant and Mitsubishi Chemical's Kurosaki Plant. At the Kurosaki Plant, melt-process PC production is set to begin in November this year, with an annual production of 20,000 tons. As a result, total annual production at the Kurosaki Plant will be 40,000 tons. With overseas production of 60,000 tons at Thai Polycarbonate Co., Ltd., and 50,000 tons at Sam Yang Kasei Co., Ltd., in Korea, total annual production is expected to approach 250,000 tons.