TOKYO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A number of Japanese companies including major nationwide delivery services had to shutter or suspend their operations Thursday as torrential rain continued to pound a wide swathe of southwestern Japan and disrupt transportation networks.
Automaker Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., according to local reports, was forced to suspend operations at a plant in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture that produces minicars.
The company was also forced to halt its engine-producing operations at its plant in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, a day earlier.
Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., Japan's leading door-to-door delivery service, has said that its operations have been severely disrupted by the torrential rain causing heavy flooding in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
Meanwhile, Japan Post Co., Ltd. said its operations could be delayed for up to 24 hours, with deliveries of letters and parcels likely to be significantly delayed in Fukuoka and Oita, local media said.
Aeon Co., Ltd. a retail corporate group whose operations include running supermarkets, said that deliveries have been delayed to some of its stores in Oita Prefecture, although it said that its outlets would remain open during regular business hours.
Tokyo-headquartered Sapporo Breweries, Ltd., the producer of the oldest brand of beer in Japan, said that despite a leak at its plant in Hita City, Oita Prefecture, its overall operations have not been disrupted by the downpours.
Local media also reported that among some of Japan's bluechip, multinational corporations operating in the southwest, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Canon Inc. and chipmaker Lt Electronics Corp. were continuing their operations on Thursday and had been largely unaffected by the inclement weather.
But major mobile phone carriers said that their services had been disrupted in some coverage areas in northern Kyushu.
Customers in northern Kyushu using the services of NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp. have been left with no network service and no idea from the firms when they will be resumed as normal, media reports said.
