Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical said on Tuesday that it expects to restart its 375,000 tons per year No.1 naphtha cracker at its Kashima plant on Thursday, three days later than planned as it had taken more time than expected in starting its No. 2 cracker.

This marks the first time that the No.1 cracker has resumed operation since the Kashima complex was damaged in a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on March 11.

Scheduled maintenance on the No.2 cracker has been delayed by around two months from its planned date of June 30 as the company wants to replenish petrochemical product inventories.

The company, a unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, also said it had restarted its Mizushima cracker on June 25, four days earlier than planned.