Half-capacity production to resume at all Japan Toyota plants

Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it had resumed car production at all of its plants in Japan Monday for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The factories will run at half capacity due to parts shortages. The automaker is still struggling to secure around 150 types of auto parts. 

The twin disasters forced Toyota to shut down all output in Japan except at three plants, which have been running at limited capacity since late March and early April to produce hot-selling Prius, Lexus and Corolla cars.

Toru Kuzuhara, president of Toyota subsidiary Central Motor Co. Ltd., which operates the Miyagi plant, said he hoped the resumption of auto production would help spur reconstruction efforts in the tsunami-battered region.

The Miyagi plant — Toyota's newest auto factory in Japan —- began operations in January. The plant suffered minor damage due to the quake, Tadokoro said. Toyota makes Yaris compact sedans at the Miyagi factory for export to North America.

Toyota will keep production at all its Japanese plants at half capacity until April 27, and then halt output from April 28 to May 9, a period that includes Golden Week holidays when factories would normally close.

The company will resume production in Japan from May 10 to June 3 at half of normal levels. Toyota has said it will make a decision in coming weeks about production plans beyond that period.

Last month's disasters have caused Toyota a production loss of 260,000 cars.