Showa Denko K.K. will open a demonstration and experiential lab environment called "Test Lab," equipped with one of the world's leading lightning test devices, within the Techno Center (Inage Ward, Chiba City) on August 6, 2025. The Test Lab is equipped with facilities such as a "lightning impulse current generator" capable of generating a current of 200 kA 10/350 μs, a "1200 kV (1.2 million V) lightning impulse voltage generator," and a "short-circuit current testing device," allowing for performance evaluations and verification experiments based on analysis of various products, including lightning protection products and power supply devices. Additionally, the Test Lab has renovated its control room observation area so that visitors can actually see the experiments and tests being conducted, providing a facility where they can experience the dynamic atmosphere of the testing process.

As part of the 60th anniversary commemorative project of Showa Electric, a top interview article with our company president, Ota, was published on October 1, 2024, in the "Nikkankogyo Shimbun," "Nikkankensetsu Tsushin Shimbun," and "Denki Shimbun." Detailed articles are available on the members-only site. Please log in to the members-only site (or register as a new member) to access them.

Showden will celebrate its 60th anniversary in October 2024. Since its founding, we have upheld the slogan "Providing safety and trust in an information society," supporting mission-critical social and communication infrastructure against various risks. In an era where things and events are digitally optimized (DX), safeguarding the increasingly important infrastructure networks is connected to protecting people's lives and society. At Showden, we continue to pursue the form of safety necessary for a transforming society, contributing to valuable experiences (CX) and the realization of a sustainable society (GX&SX) for everyone.

Showden Co., Ltd. has opened a "Solution Lab" within the SC Center (Koto Ward, Tokyo) as a demonstration environment to experience comprehensive solutions for enhancing the safety of important facilities, in conjunction with the relocation of the SC Center. In this facility, you can experience new network and security solutions, including a large display wall suitable for monitoring environments, a high-speed and high-precision contactless biometric authentication system, a high-definition surveillance camera system, and a wide-area wireless system capable of long-distance transmission, with the GENETEC Security Center as the core system. For more details, please visit our company website.

At Showden, we have opened a "Members-Only Site" in response to numerous requests from our customers. You can access various content, including archived videos of online seminars, seminar materials, and product CAD data. We encourage you to register as a member and take advantage of these resources. Additionally, the "Materials & Downloads" section has also been renewed and is available for use without membership registration. Please feel free to utilize it as well.

At Showden, we have produced an "SPD Introduction Video" that clearly explains the features and handling methods of our new power supply and communication SPD, which has been available for viewing since January 19, 2021. Compared to traditional catalogs and still images, the content is more intuitive and easier to understand. We invite you to watch it.

At Showden, we have renewed the "SPD Selection Support Site," which was launched in September 2020, to make it even more user-friendly, and it reopened on January 19, 2021. By simply checking items such as application and line type from over 100 types of SPDs available for power supply and communication, you can select the most suitable SPD. We invite you to make use of it.

I participated in the filming of the lightning strike verification experiment (Showden Techno Center) that was broadcast in the third episode of the popular drama "Innocence: Wrongful Conviction Lawyer," aired on the Nippon Television network. ■ Broadcast Date and Time February 2, 2019 (Saturday) 22:00 - 22:54 ■ Broadcasting Station Nippon Television Network ■ Program Name Drama "Innocence: Wrongful Conviction Lawyer" Official Program Website: https://www.ntv.co.jp/innocence/ Episode 3 Story: https://www.ntv.co.jp/innocence/story/03.html ■ Filming Cooperation Lightning protection product "Surge Protective Device (SPD)" www.sdn.co.jp/special/aslete/index.html Lightning strike verification experiment facility (Showden Techno Center) www.sdn.co.jp/company/techno/techno.html

On August 30, 2017, an article was published in the Nikkei Industrial Newspaper's comprehensive feature on disaster prevention, showcasing the case of the introduction of a CMS (Control Room Management System) by the Road Maintenance Division of the Shizuoka City Construction Bureau. It includes an interview with the deputy chief. For more details, please refer to the published article.

The Showden Tohoku Branch will hold a seminar on July 7, 2017 (Friday) at TKP Garden City Sendai (21st floor of AER) with the theme of "One-stop service integrating information communication and comprehensive disaster prevention technology." In this seminar, we will present topics such as "Lightning protection for electrical equipment using SPD," "Security measures using data diodes," and "Lightning damage and countermeasures for wind power generation facilities and smart facility equipment." Additionally, a lecture by Tomoyuki Hirase, the Vegalta Sendai ambassador, is also scheduled. 【Details】 - Date and Time: July 7, 2017 (Friday) from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Venue: TKP Garden City Sendai (21st floor of AER) - Participation Fee: Free (Note: Information exchange meeting is separately charged) - Capacity: 150 participants for each lecture *Please contact the Showden Tohoku Branch to register. Phone number: 022-222-1401

The portable grounding electrode "Kappa-kun," jointly developed by Showden Co., Ltd. (4-3-8 Taihei, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, President Mitsuaki Ota) and Mirait Co., Ltd. (5-6-36 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo, President Masatoshi Suzuki), received the "Monozukuri Award" at the 58th "Top Ten New Products Award" hosted by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun in 2015. [About the portable grounding electrode "Kappa-kun"] This product can be used as a simple grounding electrode by allowing the moisture-retaining material filled inside the main box to permeate into the concrete. It can be used as a grounding electrode for preventing electric shock with aerial work platforms or heavy machinery, or as a supplementary electrode during grounding resistance measurements, easily achieving stable grounding resistance.

Shogo Ota, Chairman of Showden, has received the Invention Promotion Contribution Award from the Japan Patent Promotion Association. [Reason for Award] He has made significant contributions to the promotion of inventions and the development of the association. October 2005: Councilor, Japan Patent Promotion Association October 2007: Director, Japan Patent Promotion Association October 2009: Executive Director, Japan Patent Promotion Association October 2013: Permanent Director, Japan Patent Promotion Association Current position

At the "41st Invention Awards" hosted by the Japan Invention Promotion Association and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Deputy Manager Kensuke Kakiuchi and two others received the Merit Award for their invention, "Abnormal Detection Circuit for Communication Surge Protection Devices." 【Award Points】 This circuit for communication surge protection devices (SPD) allows for easy detection of abnormalities such as degradation by detecting leakage current, thereby protecting communication equipment from lightning. It can detect issues without affecting the communication line by applying voltage to the SPD, and it can detect the degradation of multiple SPDs using a single DC power supply. Since the degradation and failure of the SPD can be monitored continuously, regular inspections become unnecessary, reducing inspection costs. Additionally, early detection and recovery of failure points become possible, leading to improved reliability of communication systems.

The December issue of Nikkei NETWORK features a special article titled "Tips for Reducing Network Equipment Failures (Lightning and Static Electricity)," which includes an interview with Aizawa from Showden's Lightning Protection System Department. The article discusses the increasing damage to network equipment caused by lightning and details countermeasures through specific products. Additionally, it provides a detailed introduction, with photos and explanations, of lightning experiments conducted at the Showden Tech Center (the effects of induced lightning). The countermeasure products mentioned in the article can be purchased at the Showden online shop.

We would like to announce that our Chairman of the Board, Sho Ota, has been awarded the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays" in the spring of Heisei 22. The summary of contributions related to this award is as follows: - Contributed to the stable supply of electricity in our country through the industrialization of lightning protection products and earthquake countermeasure products, as well as the development of construction methods for these products. Sho Ota established Showden Co., Ltd. on October 15, 1965, and assumed the position of President and Representative Director. In November 2005, he became the Chairman of the Board and has held that position to the present day. He also serves as the President of the Japan Lightning Protection System Industry Association, Executive Director of the Japan Invention Promotion Association, and a councilor of the Electric Science and Technology Promotion Foundation. In April 1988, he received the Minister of Science and Technology Award for earthquake countermeasures for information equipment, and in January 1998, he was awarded the Excellent Manager Award (sponsored by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun).

The seismic isolation device SD-5 type 2 for racks from Showden was featured on the 24-hour news channel NTV NEWS24. This was introduced during the Smart Grid Exhibition 2010 (Tokyo Big Sight, June 16-18) broadcasted by NTV NEWS24's "Day Plus MONO Business Division," where the structure and features of the rack seismic isolation device were presented.

Keinosuke Arai, the director of the SD Disaster Prevention Research Institute, has been awarded the 3rd Hoshino Award by the Institute of Electrical Equipment. The summary of this award is as follows: He has served as the chair of the subcommittee of the domestic committee of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) TC (Lightning Protection), which is overseen by the Institute of Electrical Equipment, and has been actively involved in translating documents and pointing out issues related to their application in Japan. Additionally, he has carried out many tasks within the drafting committee related to the establishment and revision of TC81-related JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) (JIS A 4201, JIS C 0367-1, JIS Z 9290-4), playing a crucial role in the IEC TC 81 domestic committee.

The lightning damage prevention products from Showden were featured on TV Asahi's "News Station." This broadcast was in response to the damage occurring in various regions due to the recent increase in sudden heavy rain, and it introduced Showden's lightning damage prevention products, the power supply SPD and Thunder Blocker.