ENEOS Group History

1893

• 1893 Hoden Oil Company established

  ▲ President of Hoden Oil and Ogura Oil (above); a hand-dug well at the Hoden Oil Higashiyama Oil Field (mid-Meiji era) (under)

1894

• 1894 Nippon Oil Corporation Limited changed its name to Nippon Oil Corporation

  Naito Hisahiro, a Niigata prefectural assembly member, became interested in the oil business after seeing an oil well drilled near his home in Amaze (Santo-gun, Niigata Prefecture). Upon gaining knowledge of the oil situation in the U.S., Naito was convinced that the oil business had a promising future. He consulted with Yamaguchi Gonzaburo, a prominent figure in his hometown and the prefectural assembly chairman, about establishing a petroleum company. Yamaguchi led the establishment of Nippon Oil Corporation Limited in May 1888. Naito (28 years old at the time) was appointed as the company’s first president. Immediately after its establishment, Nippon Oil reclaimed the coast of Amaze and drilled an oil well in the sea, which was a success and laid the foundation for the company’s development.

  ▲ Founder of Nippon Oil (left); Amase Oil Field (mid-Meiji era) (right)

1919

• 1919 Japan’s first gas station opened

1931

• 1931 Mitsubishi Oil Co., Ltd. established

  Mitsubishi Corporation began importing and selling crude oil and heavy oil in 1923 and established a fuel department the following year. However, the company felt the need to construct a domestic refinery. To acquire imported crude oil and oil refining technology, Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha, Mitsubishi Mining Company Ltd., and Mitsubishi Corporation cooperated to establish Mitsubishi Oil Co., Ltd. in February 1931 through a joint investment with San Francisco’s Associated Oil Co., with which Mitsubishi Corporation had close ties in the oil trade.

1939

• 1939 Toa Nenryo Kogyo K.K. established

  In 1939, Toa Nenryo Kogyo K.K. was founded jointly by eight Japanese petroleum companies to produce aviation gasoline and lubricants. Toa Nenryo Kogyo formed a partnership with Stanvac to introduce Standard Oil technology. Stanvac acquired 51% of Toa Nenryo Kogyo’s shares (later reduced to 50%).

  ▲ Toa Nenryo Kogyo Wakayama Plant

1941

• 1941 Toyo Shoko Co., Ltd. changed its name to Koa Oil Co., Ltd.

  Noguchi Eizaburo, manager of the Northern Sakhalin Oil, and his subordinate, Usui Hisao, established Toyo Shoko Co., Ltd. in 1933. The company aimed to produce high-grade lubricants and fuel oil. Later, with the goal of domestically producing high-octane aviation gasoline, the company was assigned to aviation gasoline production separately from Toa Nenryo Kogyo, with the support and assistance of the Army Aviation Headquarters. In 1941, the company changed its name to Koa Oil Co., Ltd. and deleted the listing of businesses not related to oil from its articles of incorporation.

  ▲ Noguchi Eizaburo (left); Usui Hisao (right)

1958

• 1958 General Sekiyu K.K. established

  General Sekiyu service station

  

• The 1960s Energy transition from coal to oil

  Rapid expansion of private cars accelerated the establishment of new refineries, supporting rapidly growing energy demand.

  Refineries opened throughout Japan

  Map of the ENEOS Group’s refineries (as of November 2024)

  

1960

• 1960 Kyushu Oil Co., Ltd. established

  As the energy transition from coal to oil progressed, Yawata Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. and Kinoshita Shoten, a major trading company of iron ore and steel products, sought to enter the oil refining business. An establishment preparation committee formed within Kinoshita Shoten began preparations to establish a new company while negotiating the purchase of land for refineries, and in September 1960, the committee completed the plans for establishment. In December of the same year, Kyushu Oil Co., Ltd. was established through investments from Yawata Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Kinoshita Shoten, Yawata Iron & Steel, Taiyo Fisheries Ltd., Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., and Onoda Cement Co., Ltd.

1963

• 1963 Kyokuto Petroleum Industries K.K. established

  In 1963, Mobil Sekiyu and Mitsui Oil Supply Co., Ltd. invested equally in the establishment of Kyokuto Petroleum Industries K.K., an oil refining specialist.

• Since the 1980s, deregulation of the domestic oil industry has progressively increased to improve efficiency.

1996

• 1996 Liberalization of oil

  Liberalization of oil

  The Act on Interim Measures Concerning the Importation of Designated Petroleum Products was repealed, effectively lifting the ban on imports of petroleum products from overseas. The influx of foreign products, which are cheaper than domestic products, has led to intensified sales competition, accelerating the consolidation of petroleum companies to strengthen competitiveness and survive.

1997

• 1997 Kyoto Protocol adopted

  Kyoto Protocol

  The world’s first international treaty mandating greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for developed countries.

1998

• 1998 Lifting of ban and introduction of self-service gas stations

• 1998 Electricity sales business to corporations using in-house power generation began

2001

• 2001 The ENEOS brand launched

2006

• 2006 Vietnam’s Associated Gas Recovery and Utilization Project approved as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project

2009

• 2009 Enactment of the Sophisticated Methods Act, which has since sequentially expanded

  Sophisticated Methods Act

  An act to encourage domestic energy supply businesses to use non-fossil resources and make effective use of fossil sources in order to ensure a stable and adequate supply of energy. It supported the reorganization of petroleum companies and reduction of refining capacity.

2014

• 2014 Japan’s first hydrogen station opened

  ▲ Hydrogen station

2015

• 2015 Paris Agreement

  Paris Agreement

  A new international framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2020, succeeding the Kyoto Protocol. All participating countries, including developing countries, are subject to reduction efforts, and the goal is to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2℃ above pre-industrial levels (2℃ target), while continuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels, accelerating global trend of decarbonization.

2016

• 2016 Full liberalization of electricity

  Full liberalization of electricity

  Electricity retailing to businesses and households was fully liberalized, enabling companies in various industries to participate in the sale of electricity beyond regional boundaries.

• 2016 Entry into the household electricity retailing business and start of the ENEOS Power supply

  

2017

• 2017 The JXTG Group formed

  Full liberalization of electricity

  In August 2016, the JX Group and the TonenGeneral Group concluded a merger agreement. In April 2017, the JXTG Group was formed.

• 2017 CO₂-EOR operations began in the U.S.

• 2017 Liberalization of gas

• 2019 Long-Term Vision for 2040 announced

• 2019 Endorsement and signing of TCFD recommendations

• 2020 The Group name changed to the ENEOS Group

  

2021

• 2021 Acquisition of all shares of Japan Renewable Energy Corporation (currently “ENEOS Renewable Energy Corporation) decided

2022

• 2022 Acquisition of elastomer business of JSR Corporation completed
  ENEOS Materials Corporation, which took over the elastomer business and shares of subsidiaries and affiliates related to the elastomer business, began operations

• 2022 CCS/CCUS business in the U.S. became a wholly owned subsidiary