JFE Holdings, Inc. announced today that it has decided to issue transition (corporate) bonds through a public offering in fiscal 2022 (begins this coming April). JFE Holdings will be the first member of Japan’s manufacturing industry to issue corporate bonds under the FY2021 climate-transition-finance model project of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). A corrected shelf-registration statement pertaining to the planned issuance was submitted to the director of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau today.

Overview

Issuance Period	FY2022
Third-party Evaluation (external)	The Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) has confirmed that JFE Holdings, Inc.’s Green/Transition Bond Framework is compatible with frameworks such as the Climate Transition Finance Handbook.
Fund Usage Candidates	Energy conservation and improved efficiency: Equipment investments and R&D targeting conversion of blast furnaces to AI and IoT, expanding the use of scrap, and improving coke furnaces. Also, equipment investments targeting recovery and effective use of waste heat, byproduct gas, etc. Manufacturing eco-friendly products: Equipment investments and R&D targeting the manufacture of electromagnetic steel sheets, etc. Development of ultra-innovative steelmaking processes: Funding for R&D on a carbon-recycling blast furnace, CCU, hydrogen ironmaking, and an electric furnace for high-grade steel production Renewable energy: Equipment investments targeting renewable energy projects, including biomass, geothermal energy, solar power generation, etc.
Structuring Agent*	Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
Lead Managing Brokerage	Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. and other brokerages (TBD)

^*Supports issuance with advice on establishing a framework for green/transition bonds and acquiring external third-party evaluations, etc.

JFE Holdings will decide the conditions for issuing its corporate bonds based on comprehensive consideration of demand conditions and interest-rate trends.

JFE, which aims to contribute to society with the world’s most innovative technology, has position the problem of climate change as a matter of extreme importance. As part of its response, JFE it has issued the JFE Group Environmental Vision for 2050, which is aimed at contributing toward the realization of a carbon-neutral world.

Based on the expectation that steel will remain a vital material in the carbon-neutral world of the future, JFE Steel intends to develop decarbonization technology as early as possible, ahead of other global competitors, while also enhancing existing processes with various transitional technologies, as indicated in the company’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2050:

Note:
This notification has been issued as a general public announcement regarding JFE Holdings’ transition bonds and is not intended in any way to serve as a solicitation for investments or any other similar act.

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For more information about this release, please contact:

Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Department, JFE Holdings, Inc.: Tel: +81-3-3597-3842

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