Sony halts Kumamoto chip plant operations after Japan earthquake

Sony Semiconductor Solutions on Wednesday said operations at its Kumamoto Technology Center have remained suspended after a powerful earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto region on July 28.

The company said production at Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation's Kumamoto facility in Kikuyo town was halted immediately after the 4:27 p.m. local time earthquake, with assessments of damage to the building and manufacturing lines currently underway.

Also read: Japan earthquake: 13 dead, several missing after powerful tremors hit the country


The electronic product manufacturer added that the earthquake has not caused significant damage to its Nagasaki, Oita and Kagoshima technology centres, and there were no reported injuries among employees who were on-site when the earthquake struck.

Japan earthquake death toll

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan on Tuesday, killing 13 people, while rescue teams continue searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday.

"Even now, there are people waiting to be rescued, and this is a race against time. We will marshal all available resources on the ground to save and rescue as many people as possible," Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo.

The PM further informed that several others were injured and missing.