Nissan and Toyota suspended production at factories in northern Japan after Fukushima Earthquake

Not only were Renesa's semiconductor plants shut down after a level 7.4 Earthquake hit Fukushima in northeastern Japan on Wednesday night, but a number of Japanese carmakers also suspended operations in northern Japan.

Toyota's car plants in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures were still shut down Thursday morning and the company is deciding whether to resume production later in the day, Toyota spokesman Shiori Hashimoto said in an emailed statement. The two plants are mainly responsible for producing Toyota's popular YARiS compact cars.

In addition to the two plants, Toyota stopped production at an engine plant in Miyagi prefecture, but decided to resume production later on Thursday after safety checks.

In addition, Toyota's Japanese auto parts giant Denso (DENSO) has also suffered equipment damage at its plant in Fukushima, and they are assessing the possible impact on production.

In addition to Toyota, Nissan has stopped production at its Fukushima plant.

Nissan spokesman Azusa Momose said the plant was scheduled to close on Thursday and Friday to arrange for employees to be vaccinated.

A Nissan spokesman also revealed that Nissan's Fukushima plant had no equipment damage or injuries affecting production, and all employees had been safely evacuated.

By Thursday's close, Toyota shares were up 2.26%, Nissan up 2.25% and Denso up 4.82%.