Helium is an inert gas. Because of its excellent stability, helium plays an important role in our daily life, cutting-edge technology, medical and many other fields. According to Japanese media reports, Japan’s helium gas shortage has recently begun to appear. What impact has this brought?
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According to CCTV reports, Shibuya, Tokyo is a famous entertainment and leisure area in Tokyo. In order to let the balloon float in the air, in recent years, helium gas, which is more safe, has become the main force in filling the balloon. The manager of a party supplies store told reporters that more than half of the thousands of balloons in the store are filled with helium. However, what I did not expect is that in the peak season at the end of the year when the business is the best, there is a shortage of helium, which affects the operation to a certain extent.
Also affected by the lack of helium supply is Tokyo Disney. Starting in December, Tokyo Disney has rarely stopped selling helium balloons during the peak season at the end of the year. The timing of the resumption of sales is currently unpredictable. If this situation continues for more than one month, it will be the first time for Tokyo Disney in the past eight years.
Helium is only produced in a few countries, and Japan depends entirely on imports. However, recently, global shipping has been delayed due to the epidemic, which has affected Japan’s helium imports. According to statistics, Japan’s imports of helium from January to October this year were only 1090 tons, a decrease of 10% over the same period last year. However, the price of imported helium hit a new high in about half a century, reaching 8,148 yen (approximately RMB 453) per kilogram, an increase of nearly 40% from the low point in 2017.
In addition to filling balloons, helium for cooling and other purposes is also a necessity in the manufacturing process of semiconductors and optical fibers. According to Japanese media reports, there are already helium suppliers in Japan that are negotiating with semiconductor companies to adjust their supply.
If the shortage continues, it will undoubtedly worsen the situation for Japanese semiconductor companies and automakers that have been severely affected by the “shortage of cores”. In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance equipment in the medical field and storage devices in data centers will also be affected by insufficient helium.
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