Nissan, Toyota battery plant U-turns stall Japan supply chain goals

With China dominating market, Tokyo seeks domestic production for economic security

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While BYD makes batteries for its electric vehicles in-house, Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor have been forced to rethink plans for domestic production. (Source photos by Nikkei)

Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Nissan Motor's cancellation of its first electric vehicle battery plant in Japan, on the heels of Toyota Motor's postponement of a similar project, damages Japan's efforts to secure a domestic supply of batteries.

Nissan had just signed a partnership agreement with local authorities for the project in January. The decision to scrap the project just a few months later owed to the automaker's weak earnings, which Nissan said led it to "reexamine the investment amount."

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