TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2025--
Kao Corporation (TOKYO:4452) (President and CEO: Yoshihiro Hasebe) has built a new tertiary amine production plant in Pasadena, Texas, United States, the opening ceremony for which took place on August 22, 2025. The new plant, with an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons, will further enhance stable supply for the U.S. market, which is expected to grow in the mid- to long-term. In addition, local production in the U.S. will improve the efficiency of Kao’s supply chain and reduce transportation-related CO 2 emissions.
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Tertiary amines are important chemical ingredients used in surfactants such as disinfectants and cleaners. Until now, Kao has had the world’s largest production capacity, with three production sites in Japan, the Philippines and Germany employing Kao’s unique technology to produce tertiary amines of superior quality. Kao uses tertiary amines in its own products and has also supplied industries around the world through its Chemical Business. Its new U.S. plant will create a three-production-site system with plants in the U.S., Europe and Asia, to ensure a more stable and speedier supply of tertiary amines to global markets.
For Kao’s Chemical Business, tertiary amines are a core component of Global Sharp Top *1, the focus of Kao’s Mid-term Plan 2027 (K27). The new plant will make a major contribution to ensure further stability of the Chemical Business’s global business base.
*1
“Global Sharp Top” is Kao’s business strategy for achieving meaningful and sustainable global growth by focusing on businesses that deliver critical solutions in markets facing rapidly evolving social challenges.
Comment from Daisuke Hamada, President, Chemical Business
Construction work on the Pasadena plant took two and a half years, and I am very happy to see the work successfully completed. The plant, which combines Kao’s unique technologies with a long-running safety record and quality control knowhow, will be the key point of a global supply chain ensuring a more stable supply of tertiary amines not only for the North American market but also for a broad range of industries all over the world.
The Pasadena site, where the plant is located, covers an area of 45 hectares, and Kao is also considering utilizing the site not only for tertiary amine production but also as a platform for working together with outside partners to produce derivatives. By leveraging this platform, we are confident it will strengthen the value chain of the entire ecosystem.
The Chemical Business will continue resolutely taking on the challenges to fulfill its role in building the cornerstone of Kao’s global growth.
About Kao
Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Attack, Bioré, Jergens, Laurier, Curél, SENSAI, MOLTON BROWN, and Oribe, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Chemical Business also contributes to a wide range of industries. Utilizing its capabilities in precise interface control technology, the Chemical Business applies its deep knowledge in the areas of fats and oils and polymers to provide a variety of products and solutions. From daily necessities to electronic materials, agricultural products, asphalt additives and more, Kao works to provide solutions for broad industry needs and social issues. With about 1,630 billion yen in annual sales, Kao employs about 32,600 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation.
Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.
New tertiary amine production plant in Texas
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.
The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used federal law, to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.
Presidents have invoked the law more than two dozen times, most recently in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush to end unrest in Los Angeles. In that instance, local authorities had asked for the assistance.
“I’m making a direct appeal to the President: Let’s turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are,” Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said on X.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge any such action in court. He's already suing to try to stop the surge by the Department of Homeland Security, which says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people since Nov. 29 as part of an immigration operation in the Twin Cities called Metro Surge.
The operation grew when ICE sent 2,000 officers and agents to the area early in January. ICE is a DHS agency.
In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.
Demonstrations have become common in Minneapolis since Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7. Agents who have yanked people from their cars and homes have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of three people who said they were questioned or detained in recent days. The lawsuit says two are Somali and one is Hispanic; all three are U.S. citizens. The lawsuit seeks an end to what the ACLU describes as a practice of racial profiling and warrantless arrests. The government did not immediately comment.
Homeland Security said in a statement that federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove off then crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, DHS said.
Officers caught up, then two other people arrived and the three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said. The confrontation took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) from where Good was killed.
Police chief Brian O’Hara said the man who was shot did not have a life-threatening injury. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security, which later said the other two men were also in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela.
The FBI said several government vehicles were damaged and property inside was stolen when agents responded to the shooting. Photos show broken windows and insults made with paint. A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information. The FBI’s Minneapolis office did not immediately reply to messages seeking more details.
St. Paul Public Schools, with more than 30,000 students, said it would begin offering an online learning option for students who do not feel comfortable coming to school. Schools will be closed next week until Thursday to prepare for those accommodations.
Minneapolis Public Schools, which has a similar enrollment, is also offering temporary remote learning. The University of Minnesota will start a new term next week with different options depending on the class.
Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Rebecca Santana in Washington; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.
Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Law enforcement officers at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A woman covers her face from tear gas as federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A protester throws back a tear gas canister during a protest after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, second from left, blows a whistle with other activists to warn people of federal immigration officers Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A child and family are escorted away after federal law enforcement deployed tear gas in a neighborhood during protests on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A protester holds an umbrella as sparks fly from a flash bang deployed by law enforcement on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
