Power supply had been restored to almost all customers in Hokkaido by early Saturday, two days after a powerful earthquake caused blackouts across the island, but the impact to businesses continue, including Toyota Motor’s plan to halt 16 of 18 domestic full-assembly plants due to a parts factory shutdown, Reuters reported.
Toyota Motor said it would halt the plants on Monday due to the shutdown of its transmission factory in Tomakomai in Hokkaido following the quake.
Hokkaido Electric said power supplies had been restored to 2.93 million customers in Hokkaido by early Saturday, leaving only 20,000 customers without electricity.
Japan’s trade ministry asked residents and businesses in Hokkaido to conserve power and said the government is considering all options including rolling blackouts amid a power shortage.