Kobe Steel suspended operations at four factories by September 19, 2012.

In April 1979, Abe began working for Kobe Steel.

Kobe Steel forecast consolidated sales for the latest year at 1,250 billion yen, down six percent.

Kobe Steel blamed Japan's protracted recession and the yen's appreciation for its poor performance in the latest year.

Kobe Steel, Japan's No.4 steel company, said it had agreed to pay $125 a ton.

Kobe Steel supplied the liquid-helium refrigerator for super-chilling the magnets close to absolute zero.

Following retirement from rugby in New Zealand, he was a player coach for Kobe Steel between 1996 and 1999.

In July 2000 he graduated from Cambridge and left Kobe Steel at the same time.

Today, Kobe Steel announced that it would lay off 25 percent of its 14,000 workers over the next 18 months.

He formed a joint venture with Kobe Steel of Japan.