Nippon Steel shuts historic Kure plant in western Japan

Nippon Steel Corp. on Saturday shut down all facilities at its Kure plant in western Japan, closing the curtain on 72 years of operations at the historic site where the Imperial Japanese Navy had its main shipyard until the end of World War II.

As part of drastic business reforms, drawn up in response to falls in domestic steel demand, Japan’s largest steelmaker said in February 2020 that it would close its 130-hectare Setouchi Works Kure Area.

The steelmaker wrapped up shipping its products from the plant on Sept. 14. Nippon Steel said it plans to dismantle all the facilities at the site over...