Aftershocks and the constant threat of additional quakes in northeastern Japan are seriously hampering the efforts of factories to resume operations and revive the nation's hard-hit manufacturing industries.
Aftershocks and the constant threat of additional quakes in northeastern Japan are seriously hampering the efforts of factories to resume operations and revive the nation's hard-hit manufacturing industries.
Many companies had finally gotten their production lines back online following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, only to see further shutdowns and delays caused by aftershocks and blackouts.
Some acknowledge they have restarted production mainly to see if their machinery is still working in the disaster areas.
The unstable ground has been a big problem for electric appliance makers.
Toshiba Corp.'s factory in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, which produced microcomputers for cars and household electric appliances, suspended operations after the ceilings and walls were damaged in the March 11 disaster.
The factory had started testing machines for a resumption of operations on Monday.
But the magnitude-7.1 aftershock off Miyagi Prefecture on Thursday night caused more damage and temporarily shut off power, forcing a further delay in the plant's plans.
Semiconductor factories require a week to restart operations, under stable conditions,.
The Toshiba factory now plans to resume operations April 18. But the plant was hit by another strong aftershock on Monday.
"If blackouts repeatedly take place, we don't know what to do," a Toshiba employee said.
Murata Manufacturing Co. has three factories--in Tome and Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture and Oyama in Tochigi Prefecture--that produce electronic parts.
Operations partially resumed at the Oyama factory on March 28 and at the Tome factory on March 29.
But production was suspended in Tome again after Thursday's aftershock. On Monday, work restarted, only to be shut down for inspections of machinery after another aftershock.
The hard-hit auto industry is gradually resuming operations, but production levels are about half of those in conventional days due to shortages of parts.
Nissan Motor Co. restarted two factories in Kanagawa Prefecture, while Honda Motor Co. resumed operations at all of its factories in Japan.
Toyota Motor Corp. also plans to restart operations at all of its plants in Japan on April 18.
But Nissan's factory in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, which produces engines for high-end vehicles, was seriously damaged in the March 11 disaster.
Nissan's factory in Kaminokawa, Tochigi Prefecture, which assembles high-end cars, is expected to resume work on April 18.
The Tochigi factory may be able to manufacture several thousand vehicles this month, less than 20 percent of the number in normal years.
One reason why carmakers are producing vehicles even at such a low output level is to test their equipment.
"By operating machines, they want to confirm whether they have any problems," an industry source said.
Yet aftershocks could derail even those plans.
Immediately after the magnitude-7.0 aftershock on Monday, Honda instructed employees at its factory in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, to go home early. The factory had just resumed operations.
Nissan also ordered its employees at its Iwaki factory to temporarily evacuate. Those workers had been engaged in recovery work.
"I hope that full-scale operations will come two or three months later," Honda President Takanobu Ito said.
One problem for automakers, electric appliance manufacturers and other companies is that a full-scale recovery of chemical and steel products is still far away.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.'s Kashima factory in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, accounted for more than 10 percent of Japan's production of ethylene, a basic material for petrochemical products.
Operations at the factory will likely restart around May 20 after repairs are made to port facilities damaged in the tsunami.
More than 20 chemical product makers are located in the Kashima industrial complex. For them, the shortage of ethylene is a serious blow because it is used in so many products.
Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. resumed production of heavy plates for shipbuilding at its main plant in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture. However, manufacturing of products for vehicles remains suspended.
The aftershocks are hindering work in other industries.
Drug maker Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp.'s factory in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, resumed operations Monday for the first time in a month. Later that day, it was forced to suspend operations again due to the aftershock.
Kirin Brewery Co. has resumed operations at its factory in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, while Asahi Breweries Ltd.'s Ibaraki factory has also recovered.
Sapporo Breweries Ltd. plans to restart operations at its Chiba factory later this month.
But the brewers have yet to resume work at their factories in the quake-hit Tohoku region.
Tsunami damage to Kirin's Sendai factory forced it to suspend operations for a long period, leading to an expected drop in beer shipments for the summer season.
Major seafood product maker Maruha Nichiro Holdings does not even have an estimate on when it can resume operations at its Ishinomaki and Sendai factories, both in Miyagi Prefecture.
Eight employees at the Ishinomaki factory were either killed or remain missing in the March 11 disaster.