Tokyo: Restoration work has progressed only slowly for vital infrastructure hit hard by the 7.6-magnitnue earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, more factories resumed production, recovering from the impact of the temblor.

According to the industry ministry, about 70 percent of more than 300 companies with production bases in disaster-stricken areas have resumed or are ready to resume production activities.

Semiconductor maker Sanken Electric Co. has not been able to confirm the safety of several employees at its group company in Ishikawa Prefecture yet. But employees who could go to work started restoration work.

Regarding gas stations, industry minister Ken Saito told a press conference Monday that “long waiting lines for refueling and restrictions on sales volume will be resolved in the next few days if transportation by large tank trucks can be continued.”

However, it remains uncertain when power and telecommunications companies can fully restore their disrupted services. Restoration work is being hindered by roads cut off by the disaster in many places.

The situation is particularly severe in the heavily affected Ishikawa cities of Wajima and Suzu, where power distribution facilities were severely damaged.

According to Hokuriku Electric Power Co., about 16,000 households in the prefecture were without power as of Monday evening, down from 18,000 households the previous evening.

Mobile phone service disruptions also continued.

As of Monday afternoon, 527 base stations of four major mobile communications companies remained halted in Ishikawa due to power outages and other factors, down from 544 the previous afternoon, according to communications ministry data.

It is difficult to use telephone and data communications services in many places in the prefecture.

JIJI Press