Sony, Toyota to resume production in JapanMarch 21, 2011 - 12:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Sony Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. prepared to resume production at some factories in Japan, as manufacturers sought to recover after the nation’s strongest earthquake on record forced them to shut plants. Sony plans to restart a factory that makes rechargeable batteries in Tochigi prefecture, northern Japan, from March 22, Hiroshi Okubo, a Tokyo-based spokesman, said yesterday. Nissan, Japan’s second-largest automaker, said in a statement it will begin the resumption of operations at six factories tomorrow and some vehicle assembly from March 24, Bloomberg reported. Toyota Boshoku Corp. , an auto-parts maker that supplies Toyota Motor, was ready to restart its plants “anytime” and was waiting for Toyota Motor to resume operations at its auto plants, Rei Nega, a spokesman for the component maker, said by phone. The supplier’s plants were largely undamaged, he said. Nissan’s engine factory in Iwaki, located in the same prefecture where Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers are battling to avert a nuclear meltdown, aren’t getting enough water, electricity and gas to operate, said Toshitake Inoshita, a Nissan spokesman. The carmaker is considering shipping engines from Tennessee to Japan, spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa said by phone. The Iwaki plant makes engines for models including Infiniti sedans and Elgrand minivans, he said. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |