A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Fukushima prefecture in northern Japan late Wednesday night, forcing several Toyota and Nissan car production plants to suspend operations.
According to Toyota spokesperson Shiori Hashimoto, the company's production plants in Fukushima, Iwate and Miyagi provinces that often produce Yaris model cars had to suspend operations until further notice.
Nissan spokeswoman Azusa Momose also said the company's operating plant in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture was ordered to close temporarily.
The devastating quake affected half of Toyota's 28 factories across Japan, including its subsidiary Hino Motors, which produces various vehicle models such as the Harrier and Lexus.
Toyota did not disclose the amount of damage suffered but based on output in 2019, the company may experience a decrease of 5,000 to 6,000 units a day.
However, Toyota said the supply of semiconductors for its vehicles was not affected at all.
Apart from the 2 companies, Mazda Motor, Honda Motor, Suzuki Motor, Mitsubishi Motors and Subaru were also affected but the companies will continue operations.
For information, a strong earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude hit the waters of Fukushima around 11 pm last night local time.
A report from Japan's NHK news agency, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reported there were 3 deaths, 97 people injured and more than 2 million housing units destroyed.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of a 30 -centimeter tsunami risk along the coasts of Fukushima and Miyagi.
