TOKYO -- The impact of the magnitude-7.6 earthquake that struck Japan on Monday has spread to retailing, services and transport, with infrastructure damage increasing the possibility of widespread disruption across manufacturing and other supply chains.
As of Tuesday morning, about 160 FamilyMart convenience stores in Ishikawa, Toyama, Fukui and Niigata prefectures were temporarily closed because of the temblor, which affected a wide area around the Noto Peninsula region in Ishikawa prefecture.
The closings were due to local evacuation orders and to ensure staffers' safety. Some stores were able to open later in the day, with the number of closed stores in the afternoon down to 56. Deliveries to stores in the region have been delayed.
Convenience store chains 7-Eleven and Lawson have also temporarily shuttered certain stores and are expecting delays in deliveries. Local department store chain Daiwa closed stores Tuesday as well.
The effects are spreading to logistics. As of Tuesday afternoon, package carrier Yamato Transport has suspended service to and from all of Ishikawa and certain areas of Toyama, and halted operations at directly managed locations throughout Ishikawa.
The company is prioritizing the safety of delivery workers and other employees and has no concrete plans to resume service. Owing to traffic restrictions caused by the earthquake, there are also delays in the delivery of packages to and from Hokkaido, Niigata, Toyama and Fukui prefectures.
Sagawa Express had paused deliveries to certain areas, including in Ishikawa prefecture. Japan Post is experiencing delays in mail and package deliveries across a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast.
In manufacturing, Nippon Steel's Naoetsu Area works, which produces stainless steel products, suspended operations after the quake hit. The facility was undergoing inspection as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, and no decision has been made on when to resume production.
Toshiba said Tuesday that it halted a facility run by subsidiary Kaga Toshiba Electronics, which serves as a key production hub for power semiconductors. It said it had not decided when the plant will restart.
Murata Manufacturing said Tuesday that that it is assessing damage at two facilities near the earthquake's epicenter, with an eye on worker safety. The company holds a roughly 40% global market share in multilayer ceramic capacitors for smartphones.
Murata said it has not identified severe injuries or damage at its 11 other plants in Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama prefectures.
No safety concerns have been identified at nuclear power plants in the affected areas so far.
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