Retail Outlets in Hokkaido Reopening as Power Returning

September 7, 2018

Sapporo- With electricity supplies resuming gradually, supermarkets and convenience stores were reopening in Hokkaido on Friday morning, after being forced to close amid a massive power outage caused by one of the severest earthquakes in Japan the day before.

Aeon Co. restarted regular operations at 15 of its 40 supermarkets in the northernmost island prefecture Friday. Some of them were selling food and other products at their entrances as the electricity was still out.

Many of the convenience stores of Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Lawson Inc. and FamilyMart Co. were open. The operators are determined to do as much as they can to procure products for their outlets.

In the meantime, operations remained halted at manufacturing facilities of Toyota Motor Corp. group companies such as Toyota Motor Hokkaido Inc., which makes transmissions and other auto parts in the city of Tomakomai.

Production has not been resumed either at Kyocera Corp.'s plant in Kitami, which makes communication equipment such as smartphones as well as electronic parts for optical communications.

The major beer makers of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Asahi Breweries Ltd. and Kirin Brewery Co. were still unable to put their plants in Eniwa, Sapporo and Chitose, respectively, back to work. The companies are not sure when they can resume operations.

Production halts continued at two plants of Calbee Inc., seven plants each of Megmilk Snow Brand Co. and Meiji Co. and four plants of Morinaga Milk Industry Co..

Meiji said electricity had been restored at a plant producing milk and other products in Asahikawa, but that it was not clear when it will be ready for restarting output.

"A prolonged power outage could affect the supply of raw milk-based products. At the moment, however, it is not known what specific impacts we may face," a Meiji official said. Jiji Press