Tokyo: Disruptions in logistics operations and infrastructure supporting daily life continued Tuesday, a day after a major earthquake hit mainly Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan.

Mail and parcel delivery services are being impacted significantly by damage on roads and traffic controls. Also, mobile phone services remained disrupted, and power failure continued.

Corporate activities, including at retailers including convenience stores and restaurants, also continued to be affected by the effects of the quake, which measured up to 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale.

Significant delays occurred in Japan Post Co.’s mail and parcel collection and delivery services in all areas of Ishikawa, the neighboring prefectures of Toyama and Fukui, and Niigata Prefecture, which borders Toyama. Delays were also seen in its services in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the northeastern prefecture of Yamagata, the central prefecture of Nagano and Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan.

Japan Post will suspend the collection of parcels for delivery to municipalities including the city of Wajima in Ishikawa and some districts in the city of Niigata, the capital of Niigata Prefecture, for the time being.

Yamato Transport Co. suspended parcel collection and delivery in all areas of Ishikawa and some areas of Toyama. Sagawa Express Co. did so in the Noto region of Ishikawa. Across the country, the two companies temporarily halted collection of parcels bound for those areas.

Yamato Transport expects delays in parcel deliveries in the prefectures of Hokkaido, Niigata, Toyama and Fukui. Sagawa Express may see a delay in parcel deliveries to Hokkaido due to factors including cancellations of ferry services.

At department store operator Sogo & Seibu Co.’s Seibu store in the city of Fukui, the capital of Fukui Prefecture, a sprinkler system malfunction that occurred when the earthquake struck during a New Year’s sale led to a glitch in the cash register system. The store was suspended Tuesday for restoration work.

Major convenience store operators Seven-Eleven Japan Co., FamilyMart Co. and Lawson Inc. suspended about 100 stores, some 160 stores and roughly 30 stores, respectively, on Tuesday, mainly in the Hokuriku central Japan region, which includes Ishikawa.

Operations were suspended at “gyudon” beef-on-rice restaurant operator Yoshinoya Co.’s all 20 stores in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures and family restaurant operator Saizeriya Co.’s 10 outlets in Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures.

Voice and data communication services of mobile phone carriers NTT Docomo Inc., KDDI Corp. and SoftBank Corp. continued to be disrupted in some areas, mainly in Ishikawa.

A total of about 33,000 households in Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures were without power as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, due to damage to power transmission facilities, according to the industry ministry.

In areas affected by the earthquake, 65 gas stations temporarily halted operations.

Manufacturers including construction machinery maker Komatsu Ltd., Japan Display Inc. and a chipmaker affiliated with Toshiba Corp. are checking whether the earthquake caused damage to their production facilities in the Hokuriku region.

JIJI Press