Major Japanese lubricant companies Idemitsu Kosan and JX Nippon have opened new blending plants in Vietnam and plan expansions in Thailand to follow Japanese automakers moving production to those countries and meet the demand from Japanese automakers. Both companies see emerging Asian markets like Vietnam and Thailand as important for their medium-term expansion plans due to growing vehicle ownership and lower costs compared to Japan. They have established plants in these countries to take advantage of supplying Japanese automakers locally and gain a foothold for further expansion in Southeast Asia, though competition is already strong from other international and domestic oil companies established in the region.