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Sakura Murakami, Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters – The powerful earthquake that struck Japan’s northeast coast on Thursday left many homes without electricity and water. This forced some factories to shut down. These events have added to the supply chain woes of manufacturers worldwide of smartphone, electronic and automotive products.

Just before midnight, Wednesday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck east of Fukushima Prefecture. This is the exact area where Japan’s largest earthquake occurred 11 years ago.

According to Hirokazu Matsuno (government spokesperson), at least 2 people were killed and 161 injured by the latest earthquake. In contrast, thousands died in 2011’s disaster when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake also caused tsunami and a meltdown of a nuclear power station.

While there weren’t any abnormalities at nuclear power plants at this point, officials said that an alarm went off at a turbine house at the plant which was crippled in 2011.

Industry was still affected by the earthquake.

Renesas Electronics Corp, a chipmaker and major supplier of automotive chips has suspended production at two semiconductor plants. It also partially stopped output from a third.

Its Naka factory in Ibaraki prefecture, just north of Tokyo supplies semiconductors to automobile companies around the world. Many auto companies have had to reduce production due to chip shortages because of COVID-19-related disruptions.

Murata Manufacturing, an electronic components manufacturer, also stopped operations after a fire at one of its smartphone parts factories.

Sony (NYSE:) Group Corp has stopped production at three factories in Miyagi prefecture, and one in Yamagata prefecture. These facilities are used to produce storage media and laser diodes as well as image sensors.

Toyota Motor (NYSE:) Corp announced that it will resume work on Thursday at a reduced capacity in two factories after the quake.

Japan’s largest refiner Eneos Corp has closed its Sendai refinery, which includes the crude distillation unit (CDU) that produces 145,000 barrels per day.

Officials have suspended the Shinkansen bullet train services and shut down at least one highway leading to the area for safety inspections.

BAD MEMORIES

Fukushima had parts of buildings’ facades thrown into the streets. Television footage captured a roof made of steep tiles being crushed by a car. Workers were also seen inspecting cracked roads.

It was massive and different than the 2011 earthquake. Aoi Hoshino who runs a Fukushima bar said, “I had to hold on to something in order to remain upright.”

Her customer shrugged off her initial shaking but, when the largest one struck, he stood up shouting, “This one is big!” She recalled that the bar suffered only minor damage, including broken glasses and damaged frames.

Nearly three hours after the earthquake, Tokyo’s capital lost power. It was located 300km (186 miles) to its south.

A tsunami warning was raised for the northeast coast earlier. Power was restored fully to the capital early Thursday morning, though some Fukushima residents were still without electricity as of early evening.

Matsuno claimed that water was being delivered to affected communities by the Self-Defense Forces. Fukushima residents flocked to refill plastic tanks.

Fumio Kishida the Prime Minister, said the government would remain on alert in case of strong tremors within the next two-three days.

According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake occurred at 11.36 pm local time (1400 GMT). It was located just offshore of Fukushima Prefecture and at 60 km depth.

A week ago was the anniversary of the earthquake that struck magnitude 9.1 in Japan. It also caused the tsunami which left approximately 18,000 victims.

However, the latest earthquake reactivated lingering nuclear safety concerns, which could pose a challenge for Kishida’s efforts to restart idle nuclear plants.

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