Toyo, Bridgestone report on Japan quake

March 12, 2011

Following Japan’s devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Kenji Nakakura, CEO and president of Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd., issued a statement.

Nakakura said the company’s facility in Northern Japan was directly affected by the earthquake, after which an emergency crisis center was set up by the company, where it is currently verifying the safety and welfare of all employees and their families.

“At the present time, neither the Sendai nor our other manufacturing plants in Japan have been affected by the tsunami, and there has not been any significant earthquake damage to our plant building or facilities,” said Nakakura. “However, due to a power outage, the Sendai plant has temporarily been shut down. Once power is restored, and the safety of the plant facility has been confirmed, the company plans to restore operations, but it is not yet clear when this will happen.”

Bridgestone Corp. also made the following statement on the company’s Facebook page: “Our thoughts are with our teammates, friends and citizens of Japan who were affected by this mornings earthquake. We cannot tell anything definite at this point, but have confirmed there is no critical damage to our Bridgestone corporation facilities.”