Much of northeastern Japan's industry was at a standstill and its goods distribution network was in tatters as aftershocks from Friday's 8.8 magnitude quake continued to rock the region on Saturday.
Much of northeastern Japan's industry was at a standstill and its goods distribution network was in tatters as aftershocks from Friday's 8.8 magnitude quake continued to rock the region on Saturday.
Honda Motor Co. said one person had died and at least 30 people were injured at its facilities in Tochigi Prefecture.
Several workers were injured after parts of ceilings and walls at Panasonic Corp. and Panasonic Electric Works Co. factories in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures fell.
Two people were injured at Nissan Motor Co.'s factory in Tochigi Prefecture.
Fires broke out at the Tochigi plant and at Nissan's Iwaki engine-manufacturing factory in Fukushima Prefecture but were put out.
The automaker has suspended operations at its Oppama assembly plant in Yokosuka, its Zama production support office and its Yokohama engine factory in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Toyota Motor Corp.-affiliated companies' factories in the Tohoku region have also been shuttered, including the Kanto Auto Works Ltd.'s assembly plant and Central Motor Co.'s factory. Both factories are without electricity.
Toyota said it did not know when the factories would resume production.
Tsunami triggered by the earthquake inflicted crippling damage along the Pacific coast.
About 300 people were trapped Saturday at Fuji Baking Group's factory near Sendai Airport after the first floor of the factory, which is still under construction, was flooded.
A spokesperson for the company said: "People cannot move out because the area around the factory has turned into mud."
A factory making optical films at Sony Corp.'s subsidiary in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, was also swamped, forcing about 1,000 workers to move to upper floors.
In Sendai, where many parts of the city were under water, four large beer-storage tanks at Kirin Brewery Co.'s factory were toppled.
The factory's storage area was swamped, and workers were forced to seek refuge on the roof. There were no reports of injuries.
Sapporo Breweries Ltd. said the ground level of some parts of its plant in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, appeared to have fallen and water was flowing in, which officials said could have been caused by earthquake liquefaction.
JFE Steel Corp. reported a small fire at its iron mill in Kawasaki, which was put out with the help of local firefighters.
Four outdoor oil tanks were damaged at the state oil storage station in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture but no fire was reported.
Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. shut down two blast furnaces at its plant in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. said the company did not know when it would reopen its tire manufacturing plant in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture.
Some businesses have struggled to get a clear picture of the extent of damage to their facilities because of massive disruption to communications and transport links.
Hitachi Ltd. appeared to be having difficulty ascertaining the extent of damage to plants in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, making motors and nuclear power-related equipment.
NEC Corp., which has four factories making electronics parts, personal computers and telecommunication equipment in the Tohoku region, was also still counting the cost.
Japan Post Holdings Co. said mail and parcel deliveries in the Tohoku and northern Kanto regions had been delayed. Convenience stores have been struggling to get supplies of rice products, possibly because of damage to factories and storage facilities.