TOKYO: Retailers, restaurants and manufacturers suspended operations, chiefly in the Kyushu southwestern Japan region, on Sunday to ensure worker and customer safety in preparation for the approach of powerful Typhoon Haishen. 

Major convenience store operators decided to close a total of about 4,200 stores including those outside Kyushu.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co., a unit of Seven & i Holdings Co. , had initially closed some 1,650 outlets in the seven prefectures in Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture since Saturday. The company later expanded the number to more than 2,000 stores, also including in Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the four prefectures in the Shikoku region, or about 50 percent of all stores in affected areas.

Lawson Inc. boosted the number of store closures in Kyushu and Yamaguchi and Ehime prefectures to about 1,200 outlets.

FamilyMart Co. closed about 1,000 stores, or nearly 60 pct of all outlets in Kyushu and Okinawa Prefecture.

On Monday, Lawson and FamilyMart plans to stop delivery of products to stores in Kyushu. Seven-Eleven Japan will also cancel delivery for some outlets.

Among restaurant chain operators, Yoshinoya Holdings Co. decided to close some 120 beef-on-rice bowl restaurants in 13 prefectures, including in Kyushu, from Saturday to Monday, while Skylark Holdings Co.  will shut about 140 outlets, including Gusto family restaurants, in the seven Kyushu prefectures and Okinawa on Sunday and Monday.

Ootoya Holdings Co.  will close its “teishoku” set meal restaurants in Okinawa and four other prefectures through Monday.

Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend a group vehicle plant in Miyawaka, Fukuoka Prefecture, and two plants manufacturing engines and other parts in Fukuoka on Monday.

Electronics powerhouse Sony Corp. decided to stop operations at its plants in Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture, the town of Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, from Sunday afternoon to around Monday.

The Nagasaki and Kumamoto plants mainly manufacture image semiconductors, while the core product of the Kagoshima factory is large-scale integrated circuits.

Nissan Motor Co. plans to close a group automobile plant in the town of Kanda, Fukuoka, and Daihatsu Motor Co. will suspend the operations of subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Kyushu Co.’s plant in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, and Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, all through Monday afternoon.

Mazda Motor Corp. decided to close its head office plants including in the city of Hiroshima and a plant in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Sunday night and Monday.

JIJI Press