News On Japan

Tsunami Warnings Lead to Temporary Closures of Convenience Stores, Restaurants and Factories

TOKYO - Tsunami warnings along Japan’s Pacific coast prompted widespread temporary closures of convenience stores, restaurants, factories and logistics operations on July 30th.

According to Seven-Eleven Japan, as of 2:30 p.m., 316 stores along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to the Kansai region had suspended operations. FamilyMart temporarily closed 273 outlets, and Lawson followed with 266.

Restaurants were also affected. McDonald’s Japan closed around 60 locations in areas under tsunami warning. Starbucks suspended operations in affected regions and urged customers to evacuate, saying it was responding store-by-store.

Among other food chains, Sukiya closed 43 outlets, Yoshinoya halted operations at some locations, and Hama Sushi temporarily shut down 19 restaurants.

Corporate operations were also disrupted. Iris Ohyama suspended activity at its Minamisoma plant in Fukushima Prefecture, which produces packaging for ready-to-eat rice. Kirin Holdings temporarily halted beer production at its Sendai and Yokohama breweries.

The companies reported that employees were evacuated to safety and that no damage had been confirmed.

Logistics services faced interruptions as well. Yamato Transport suspended collection and delivery at certain branches along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Sagawa Express also paused collection and delivery services from Hokkaido to Wakayama Prefecture.

Source: TBS

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