Where once a bustling electronic parts plant was filled with workers in the Hirono industrial complex, about 20 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, today the only object inside a spacious building is a chair with a phone.
Where once a bustling electronic parts plant was filled with workers in the Hirono industrial complex, about 20 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, today the only object inside a spacious building is a chair with a phone.
While it will occasionally ring, the ringing soon stops.
The entire town of Hirono was designated a zone where preparations had to be made for evacuation in case of emergency and most of the residents are gone.
"It will be difficult to resume operations in Hirono because of the problems involved in gathering the necessary number of workers," said an executive with the electronic parts company.
The difficulties of rebuilding after last year's Great East Japan Earthquake and dealing with the negative publicity from the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant are forcing many companies such as the electronic parts maker to abandon manufacturing facilities in the disaster-stricken areas.
While such moves are being made to avoid losing in the vicious global competition for business, it is also hurting local efforts to rebuild since it means a loss of jobs.
The general affairs department of the electronic parts manufacturer in Hirono was forced to move to a sales office in the Kansai region.
Even after the zone designation was lifted last autumn, there has been no resumption in production. The phone remains because it has been programmed to transfer calls automatically.
Immediately after last year's natural disasters, the plant received many orders for parts from clients who were concerned about possible shortages. Orders last May were about three times that of a normal year.
Production of all major parts became possible after the manufacturing facilities at the Hirono plant were moved to the company's plant in Southeast Asia.
However, of the roughly 80 employees at the Hirono plant, about 60 were let go, and the remainder were transferred to other domestic plants.
The Hirono town government office, which had temporarily moved to Iwaki, also in Fukushima Prefecture, resumed services at its former office from March 1. However, 95 percent of town residents remain evacuated outside of the town limits.
Rice farming had long been the main industry of Hirono, but that changed in 1986 when the town began selling space in its industrial complex. In total, 15 companies set up shop there, employing close to 700 people before the natural disasters, the largest employment site in town.
Two other companies, including a food manufacturer, have also not resumed operations and the number of workers at the industrial complex has fallen to under 400.
The situation is even more serious in neighboring Naraha. Part of the Naraha south industrial complex still lies in the no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Although the central government granted an exemption from last autumn to allow companies to resume operations, only three of the 17 companies that had manufacturing bases in the complex have done so.
Kanto Industry Co., an auto parts manufacturer, purchased land and a factory in Iwaki and began alternative production from last summer.
"Unless we return to past production levels as quickly as possible, we will lose market share to other companies," a plant official said.
Because the company also exports parts to the West, where there are still strong concerns about radiation contamination, it has abandoned plans to resume operations in Naraha.
Although decontamination at the industrial complex is scheduled to be completed by the end of March, the president of the food manufacturer that has suspended production said, "As long as there is the possibility of effects from negative publicity, it will be impossible to resume operations here."
According to officials of local governments, there were 42 companies that had set up bases in five industrial complexes in the areas that had been designated a zone where preparations had to be made for evacuation in case of emergency. As of the end of February, only 25 companies had resumed operations.
Meiko Electronics Co. develops and manufactures parts used in the iPhone sold by Apple Inc. Meiko's plant in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, was devastated by last year's tsunami.
To supplement production, the company greatly expanded its plant in China. Last December, it also strengthened facilities at a plant in Vietnam. Now, 90 percent of its manufacturing is done overseas.
About two-thirds of the 300 employees who were from Miyagi were laid off, and the company is undecided what to do about the Miyagi plant.
It is only the stronger companies that have been able to move facilities to outside the disaster-stricken areas.
According to a study by the federation of small business organizations in Fukushima Prefecture, of the 330 companies that were forced to temporarily evacuate due to the nuclear accident, more than half, or 170, still had not resumed operations as of Feb. 20.
Miyagi prefectural government officials asked municipal government officials about moves within their jurisdictions and found that 10 companies had closed factories and another five had moved manufacturing bases outside of the prefecture.
Such moves were generally among the major companies, such as Sony Corp., so prefectural government officials are not totally aware of the situation facing small businesses.
According to studies by business organizations, of the 1,354 companies along the coastal area that were damaged by the disasters, at the end of last November about 20 percent, or 307, had either gone out of business or had no idea when operations would resume.
Some local governments are trying to attract new companies to move in.
In February, Miyagi Prefecture was designated a special zone for rebuilding. A major component of that program is tax incentives for companies that hire disaster victims.
Showa Shell Sekiyu KK is planning to construct a new plant to manufacture solar cells at an inland site in the prefecture.
However, that designation may not be enough to stop companies from moving their manufacturing bases abroad since they face such heavy burdens as a strong yen, high corporate taxes and concerns about a stable electricity supply in Japan.
(This article was written by Hisashi Naito and Ryo Shimura.)