The recent quakes have reportedly forced Japanese carmakers, electronics companies and refineries – including Toyota Motor Corp. and electronics heavyweight Sony Corp – to suspend production at some plants due to disrupted supply chains.
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“Rescue dogs are usually trained to react to smells of living beings, so the question of their use is still on the table considering we have passed the 72-hour window, because they can’t operate with full capacity”, said Masahiro Kobayashi, Head of Disaster Rescue Dog Network.
The powerful earthquakes have caused electricity outages and disruptions to water supplies. “Operations at the site in Kumamoto are still suspended, and we are continuing to inspect the lines, but it is hard with aftershocks continuing”, a representative from Sony’s Tokyo headquarters told The Hollywood Reporter.
Aisin Seiki, whose plants in Kumamoto sustained damage, said it would shift production affected by its plants in the quake-affected city to other facilities at home and overseas. “We now have maps that show where exactly the suppliers are”.
Rescuers were redoubling search efforts on the southern island of Kyushu, where many areas were cut off by landslides and road and bridge damage.
Almost 20,000 people were killed in the 2011 tsunami.
Seismic activity is continuing in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures with no sign of subsiding, said Gen. Aoki, the head of Japan’s Meteorological Agency. Overall, the risk to the outlook for growth is “to the downside” he said.
The staggered suspension across Toyota’s plants is expected to lead to a drop in production, by about 50,000 vehicles, the Nikkei said citing industry analysts. Tourism will also take a big hit.
The Kumamoto plant is tasked with manufacturing the image sensors for digital cameras, security cameras and microdisplays.
In the wake of the deadly earthquakes in southern Japan, share prices tumbled on Monday after production at many key factories came to a standstill.
The search is focused on debris-strewn communities in a mountainous area near Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan.
The natural disaster damage and loss of power and water is reverberating beyond Kyushu as Toyoto Motor Corp. and other manufacturers have suspended production.
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Energy companies suffered heavy selling after talks between major oil producing countries to cap output collapsed over the weekend, sending crude prices tumbling. Sony has said that it does have some inventory ready to meet needs in the immediate future, but a more detailed report should be released on Monday, April 18th.
