4997

Nihon Nohyaku Co., Ltd.

A maker of crop-protection chemicals, Nihon Nohyaku — known worldwide as Nichino — produces fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides that farmers use to guard crops like rice, vegetables, and fruits. It was born in 1928 when the agricultural-chemical arm of Asahi Denka (grown out of Furukawa Electric's copper-refining research) merged with Fujii Seiyaku, making it Japan's first dedicated agrochemical company. Its name simply means "Japan agricultural medicine," and its signature rice-blast product, Fuji-One, nods to Mount Fuji.