Currently, the company has to shut its Kashima crackers every year for checks after it was slapped with administrative sanctions in 2008, following a fire at the facility that resulted in four deaths. Prior to that, the company had only to shut once every four years for maintenance. The company, a unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings has sought permission to conduct maintenance on the No.1 and No.2 crackers once every two years, and believes it is likely to get approval, a company spokesman said. The firm's Kashima No.1 cracker, with capacity of 375,000 tonnes, is likely to undergo a scheduled turnaround from May 10 to July 4, he said.