DOWA

Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo, Japan-based nonferrous metals company responsible for the core mining, smelting, and refining operations of the DOWA Group. Headquartered at Akihabara UDX in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, the company serves as the primary resource development and raw materials procurement arm for DOWA's copper and zinc smelting and r... efining facilities in Japan. Its operations span mineral resource development, overseas mine investment, and the production of high-purity metals including copper, zinc, silver, gold, indium, and other nonferrous and precious metals. The company's origins trace back to the Kosaka mine in Akita Prefecture, which served as the birthplace of the broader DOWA Group and became Japan's largest copper producer in the early twentieth century. Dowa Metals & Mining developed proprietary flotation and smelting technologies to process kuroko ore, a complex polymetallic sulfide ore rich in copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver. Following the suspension of domestic mining operations in 1994, the company shifted its focus entirely to overseas resource development, applying its accumulated technological expertise to international mining projects. Today, Dowa Metals & Mining holds active interests in several overseas mining operations, including the Tizapa mine and the Los Gatos silver-zinc-lead mine, both located in Mexico, as well as the Huckleberry and Gibraltar mines in Canada. The Los Gatos mine, in which Dowa holds a 30% ownership stake, produces silver, zinc, and lead concentrates at a capacity of 3,500 tonnes per day. Zinc concentrate from these operations is imported to feed Akita Zinc, one of Japan's largest electrolytic zinc producers, which produces approximately 200,000 tonnes of zinc annually. Through its integrated model of overseas resource investment and domestic smelting, Dowa Metals & Mining supports the long-term, stable supply of critical nonferrous metals to Japanese industry.Read More