Heavy snow continues to affect Japanese OEMs' domestic operations

Record snowfall has disrupted transport services in Japan this month.

Toyota today (18 February) resumed operations at three of its plants in central Japan that were shut the previous day as parts delivery was suspended because of heavy snowfall last weekend, while many plants of other automakers remain idle, reports Kyodo News. While Toyota today reopened its Takaoka, Motomachi, and Tahara plants in Aichi prefecture, operations at the Tsutsumi plant are expected to be resumed later in the day. Nissan has suspended one of the two production lines at its plant in Tochigi prefecture, in eastern Japan, since yesterday afternoon, with the delay in parts delivery threatening to affect the remaining line at the Tochigi plant, as well as production at its Oppama plant, in Kanagawa prefecture, near Tokyo. As of today, Honda has halted production at its Yorii plant, in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, while Fuji Heavy Industries has suspended output at two plants in Gunma prefecture, in eastern Japan. Suzuki suspended operations on Saturday at its Kosai plant as well as at one of the two lines at its Iwata plant. Operations at Suzuki's Sagara plant, in the city of Makinohara, were halted yesterday. Toyota's small-car unit, Daihatsu, also resumed production today at its two plants in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, in western Japan.