The news that Sumitomo Chemical has been selected as a “Top 100 Global Innovator 2026” by Clarivate is a highly symbolic event for Japan’s chemical and materials industry.
Of particular note is the fact that, among only three companies from the Japanese chemical and materials sector to make the list, Sumitomo Chemical has received this recognition for five consecutive years since 2022. This indicates not a one-off achievement, but sustained recognition of its long-term, structural innovation capabilities.
What the Evaluation Axis of “Rarity” Represents
In this year’s evaluation, four indicators were used: “Influence,” “Success Rate,” “Geographic Investment,” and “Rarity.” Among these, Sumitomo Chemical was especially highly rated for “Rarity.”
Rarity does not refer to the strength of a single technology, but rather to how difficult it is for competitors to substitute inventions or technology groups that are created by combining multiple technologies. In other words, it can be understood as a measure of how much a company possesses a “bundle of technologies that cannot be easily imitated.”
This evaluation axis clearly indicates where competitive advantage is built in the chemical and materials sector, which is often regarded as a mature industry. It is not isolated breakthroughs, but the combination and accumulation of technologies that become decisive weapons in global competition.
The Trinity of Core Technologies, Application Development, and IP Strategy
Behind Sumitomo Chemical’s high evaluation lies a long history of refining core technologies such as organic synthesis, catalyst design, production technologies, analytical evaluation, and quality control. Equally important is the fact that these technologies have not been developed in isolation, but have been linked to product and application development, as well as to synergies with technologies from other fields.
Moreover, the company has not stopped at simply filing patents. By securing rights globally and building a robust patent portfolio, it has directly translated these efforts into this award. The fact that R&D, business strategy, and intellectual property strategy function as an integrated whole, rather than as separate silos, offers valuable lessons for many Japanese companies.
The Long-Term Vision of an “Innovative Solution Provider”
The company’s stated stance as an “Innovative Solution Provider” is not merely a slogan; it can be said to have been substantiated by this evaluation result.
Social challenges such as food, ICT, healthcare, and the environment cannot be solved by a single technology alone. They require complex technologies, long-term investment, and intellectual property that protects and leverages those technologies.
The company’s continued positioning of intellectual property not as a “defensive tool,” but as a “management resource that enhances corporate value,” has led to international recognition—an extremely instructive outcome.
Implications for Japanese Companies
This news is not merely a success story of a single company, Sumitomo Chemical.
It demonstrates that not only R&D capability itself, but also how technologies are combined, the quality and scope of rights acquisition, and alignment with a long-term vision have become decisive factors in global evaluation.
How to strategically build “rarity.”
How Japanese companies address this question will significantly influence their competitiveness going forward.