Honda has announced that its Kumamoto factory will partially resume operations from May 6. The recent string of earthquakes in Japan had led to production being temporarily suspended at this facility.
Considering the magnitude of damage to the equipment and the structure of the factory, Honda expects complete recovery to take some time. This means that full-fledged production will not commence until mid-August. Honda’s subsidiary production facility - Yachiyo Industry Co. Ltd., which produces mini-vehicles for Honda has suffered higher scale of damage and has shifted to limited production since April 22. This facility is expected to be fully operational in the next six months.
Over 48 people were killed and several more injured when the tremors of 7.3 magnitude hit the Minamiaso town in Southern Japan, on April 16. It is not just Honda as several other automobile manufacturers have announced a halt in production due to the destruction in property caused by this catastrophe.