Toyota resumes production in all Japan plants after quakes

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motors on Friday resumed production at all assembly lines in the country after operations were halted at most facilities due to powerful quakes that struck the nation in April.

A company spokesperson told EFE news that the last five production lines that had remained closed due to the quakes were back online.

The carmaker was forced to halt production in 26 of its 30 plants in Japan due to shortages of components manufactured by suppliers near the Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, which were the worst affected in the quakes.

The temporary halt in operations in those assembly lines had affected the production of around 80,000 units, according to Japanese daily Nikkei.

Transport and communications in several parts of Kumamoto and Oita are still experiencing disruption after the tremors, the worst since the March 2011 earthquake that caused a devastating tsunami.

The recent quakes have also led to the temporary closure of factories owned by Japanese and foreign firms.

Automotive manufacturers Mitsubishi and Honda Motors, and electronics giant Sony, also halted production at their Japan factories.

The first 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the area on April 14, followed on April 16 by a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake that caused building collapses and landslides.