THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 11, 2020 at 12:55 JST
Nissan Motor Co.’s plant in Kanda, Fukuoka Prefecture, is the automaker's largest domestic production base. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Nissan Motor Co. said it will suspend all operations at its largest domestic production base starting on Feb. 14 because the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has disrupted supply chains.
It will be the first plant in Japan for finished vehicles to halt production because of coronavirus-related factors.
The plant, located in the town of Kanda in Fukuoka Prefecture, is operated by Nissan Motor Kyushu Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the automaker.
Nissan said Feb. 10 that production lines mainly for vehicles for export will be shut down on Feb 17.
The company said it expects to resume operations on Feb. 18.
The Kanda plant accounts for about half of the automaker’s domestic production. In fiscal 2018, it built about 430,000 vehicles.
The factory has produced various models, including the Serena minivan, the X-Trail sport utility vehicle, and the Rogue, an SUV exclusively for export.
Other automakers also use parts made in China.
According to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan imported 347 billion yen ($3.1 billion) in Chinese-made auto parts in 2018.
The figure is about 10 times higher than the one in 2003, when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak occurred.
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