Japanese company Toho Zinc Group established the Annaka Smelter and Refinery in 1937, soon followed by the Chigirishima Smelter and Refinery, Onahama Smelter and Refinery, and Fujioka Works. In 2010 Toho acquired Australian mining company CBH Resources Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary, increasing its self-sufficiency for zinc and lead ore.
