TOKYO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday, as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralysed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centres, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defense Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island's businesses and 5.3 million residents to use about 20 percent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

"It's very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 percent energy-saving," Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island's power, he said.

With electricity restored, Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday its parts factory in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, which builds transmissions and other components, was preparing to resume production some time during the night shift starting at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

However, the fallout has already spread beyond the island, with Toyota suspending assembly at 16 of its 18 domestic car assembly plants on Monday to assess its parts inventory. It will decide in the next few hours whether to resume work on Tuesday, the automaker said. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko, Maki Shiraki, Osamu Tsukimori Writing by Chang-Ran Kim Editing by Paul Tait)</s>Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-10 17:59:29|Editor: Liangyu

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TOKYO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of the powerful earthquake striking Japan's Hokkaido last week rose to 44 on Monday, the government said, with thousands still displaced as aftershocks continued to rumble and powers supply remained unstable.

According to the local police and prefectural officials, the body of a 77-year-old man who was previously unaccounted for was found on Monday morning in the town of Atsuma at the site of a deadly landslide.

Two other bodies were found at the same site on Sunday, officials reported. There are now no reports of individuals missing and the search operations have officially been called off.

Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told a press briefing Monday that around 40,000 Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel, police, firefighters continued to work on removing debris and clean-up operations.

He also confirmed that there were no more missing residents.

The majority of the fatalities were in Atsuma, where massive landslides buried and crushed homes, leaving around 36 people dead, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday.

As of Monday morning, around 2,700 people remained in evacuation shelters, with around 70 buildings destroyed, and 8,000 homes were still without water supply, the Hokkaido prefectural government said.

Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi has called on the people and businesses of Hokkaido for their cooperation in using less power, as consumption must be reduced by 20 percent at peak-times to avoid blackouts in Japan's northernmost prefecture.

"It is extremely tough but if rolling blackouts or another power outage occurs, restoring lives and business activities to normal will be severely impacted," Takahashi was quoted as saying.

The electricity shortage could continue for up to a week according to Hokkaido Electric Power Co., as the Tomatoatsuma thermal power plant which was damaged by the quake and produces nearly 50 percent of Hokkaido's power, underwent repairs.

Hokkaido was rocked by an early morning 6.7-magnitude earthquake last Thursday.

Around 700 people have been injured as a result of the quake which was measured the maximum 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale.

This marked the first time a quake in Hokkaido has registered this intensity level since the seismic scale was revised in 1996, Japan's weather agency said.</s>TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday, as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralyzed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centers, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defense Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island’s businesses and 5.3 million residents to use about 20 percent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

“It’s very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 percent energy-saving,” Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island’s power, he said.

With electricity restored, Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Monday its parts factory in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, which builds transmissions and other components, was preparing to resume production some time during the night shift starting at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

However, the fallout has already spread beyond the island, with Toyota suspending assembly at 16 of its 18 domestic car assembly plants on Monday to assess its parts inventory. It will decide in the next few hours whether to resume work on Tuesday, the automaker said.</s>TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday, as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralysed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centres, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defense Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island’s businesses and 5.3 million residents to use about 20 percent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

“It’s very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 percent energy-saving,” Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island’s power, he said.

With electricity restored, Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday its parts factory in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, which builds transmissions and other components, was preparing to resume production some time during the night shift starting at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

However, the fallout has already spread beyond the island, with Toyota suspending assembly at 16 of its 18 domestic car assembly plants on Monday to assess its parts inventory. It will decide in the next few hours whether to resume work on Tuesday, the automaker said.</s>TOKYO: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday (Sep 10), as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralysed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centres, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

READ: No reports of Singaporeans injured in Hokkaido earthquake: MFA



Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defence Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island's businesses and 5.3 million residents to use about 20 per cent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

"It's very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 per cent energy-saving," Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island's power, he said.

With electricity restored, Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday its parts factory in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, which builds transmissions and other components, was preparing to resume production sometime during the night shift starting at 8.30pm (1130 GMT).

However, the fallout has already spread beyond the island, with Toyota suspending assembly at 16 of its 18 domestic car assembly plants on Monday to assess its parts inventory. It will decide in the next few hours whether to resume work on Tuesday, the automaker said.</s>TOKYO (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday, as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralyzed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centers, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defense Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island’s businesses and 5.3 million residents to use about 20 percent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

“It’s very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 percent energy-saving,” Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island’s power, he said.

With electricity restored, Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Monday its parts factory in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, which builds transmissions and other components, was preparing to resume production some time during the night shift starting at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

However, the fallout has already spread beyond the island, with Toyota suspending assembly at 16 of its 18 domestic car assembly plants on Monday to assess its parts inventory. It will decide in the next few hours whether to resume work on Tuesday, the automaker said.</s>The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit Japan's Hokkaido Island last week has risen to 44, with 660 others injured.

Around 2,500 people remain in evacuation centres after the tremor on Thursday, according to Japanese officials.

Although electricity to the island has been restored, Japan's trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on both businesses and residents in Hokkaido to use 20 percent less energy to prevent further blackouts.

"It's very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20 percent energy-saving," Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

Power outages since the earthquake have hit businesses like Toyota, which over the weekend suspended production at most of its assembly plants.

The company said that it would resume production at its "parts factories" in Hokkaido during night shifts. The factories are responsible for building transmissions and other essential components.

Due to disruptions to its supply chain, Toyota is suspending production at 16 of 18 domestic car-assembly plants and the company says it will fully resume production by Thursday.

Japan is situated in the "Ring of Fire" arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches. The arc accounts for 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

This latest earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7.</s>Death toll reaches 39 after the 6.7 Earthquake hit Hokkaido: 1 person still missing

The death toll from the deadly 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Hokkaido is now 39. However, with one more person still missing, then sadly it looks like the number will reach 40. Therefore, with Japan being battered by a deadly typhoon and being hit by a potent earthquake that also sowed death in the same week, much sorrow abounds in several parts of the nation.

It is known that emergency services and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have been working tirelessly since the earthquake struck Hokkaido a few days ago. Hence, the armed forces and emergency services are increasingly being utilized immediately during times of natural disasters. Equally important, the central government is set to task the various ministries to help people blighted by the after effects. This applies to destroyed homes, water-related issues, power supplies, the destruction of the infrastructure, temporary housing, providing food and assistance, and other important areas.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also visited Hokkaido in order to show support and to view the destruction at first hand. Of course, it is important for political leaders to show the “human face” during times of tragedy. Hence, local people, irrespective of their political persuasions, will welcome the visit of Abe and the emergency meeting held immediately after the earthquake struck.

Abe stipulated shortly after the tragedy, “Please give your sympathy to people who spent a dark night in fear, and do everything you can to restore electricity as soon as possible.”

The town of Atsuma was especially hit hard after landslides submerged houses and people. It can only be hoped that the local government and central government will help in areas related to trauma for all surviving members – and to somehow bring a little peace to an embattled community.

Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group

DONATIONS to SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES – please pay PayPal and DONATE to sawakoart@gmail.com</s>The death toll has hit 39 from a powerful earthquake that struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido last week.

One person remained missing in the town of Atsuma, where multiple landslides triggered by the quake slammed into houses at the foot of steep hills.

Rescue workers used diggers and shovels to search for the missing in a tangle of dirt, fallen trees and the rubble of homes left by the landslides. All but four of the victims were from Atsuma, a community of 4,600 people.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Kiyota ward on the eastern edge of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido.

In some parts of Kiyota, the earth liquefied and sank as much as a metre, tilting houses, cracking roads and unleashing a mudflow that solidified and trapped vehicles in car parks.

The magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck before daybreak on Thursday and knocked out power and train service across Hokkaido, home to 5.4 million people.

It took two days to restore electricity to most households. A few hundred were still without power on Sunday, mostly in Atsuma.

About 2,600 people were staying in temporary shelters, down from a peak of 16,600, the Hokkaido government said.</s>Tokyo — The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday.

Electricity supply remained short and top carmaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

Toyota said it would resume operations at all domestic assembly plants by Thursday. Production at the Hokkaido plant would resume later on Monday,

A Toyota spokeswoman said partial production would resume on Tuesday at some plants, including those near the company’s headquarters in Aichi Prefecture, and at subsidiary Toyota Auto Body Co operations on remaining lines would resume on Thursday.

The carmaker suspended production on Monday at 16 of its 18 domestic plants that manufacture the brand’s vehicles as it assessed the effects on its supply chain of a stoppage at Toyota Motor Hokkaido’s transmission plant, which supplies Toyota assembly plants at home and abroad.

The Hokkaido plant produces transmissions for petrol vehicles, transaxles for hybrid petrol cars, and other components, shipping components domestically as well as globally for use in popular models including the Corolla, the RAV4 SUV and Lexus NX and RX SUVs.

The predawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralysed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train, and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centres, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to unstable houses.

Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said a team of about 40,000 Self-Defence Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations. There were no more missing residents, he said.

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido but trade minister Hiroshige Seko called on the island’s businesses and 5.3-million residents to use about 20% less energy to prevent further blackouts.

"It’s very important now for all residents, businesses, the government, and electricity suppliers to work together towards this goal of 20% energy-saving," Seko told a news conference late on Sunday.

The government has no plans for rolling blackouts on Monday and Tuesday despite the continued closure of a fossil fuel-fired power plant that supplies about half the island’s power, he said.
The death toll from the earthquake in Hokkaido, Japan rises to 44. There are now no reports of individuals missing and the search operations have been called off.