Tsunami threat for car plants

Nissan Motor Co was among the many businesses affected when tsunami warnings were issued for large parts of Japan after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.

The quake on July 30 prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue tsunami warnings along the Pacific coastlines of 13 prefectures, from Hokkaido to Wakayama.

Tsunami advisories were issued for a further 17 prefectures.

Nissan announced it had suspended operations at three of its factories in Japan, including the Oppama plant, pictured, in Kanagawa Prefecture. 

The decision was made after the tsunami warnings were issued to ensure the safety of employees, reports the Japan News.

Reports said evacuation directives were issued to nearly 2.8 million people across 21 prefectures in Japan yesterday in response to the tsunami threat, which also affected parts of the US and New Zealand.

The JMA downgraded the tsunami warnings for areas facing the Pacific coast from Ibaraki to Wakayama prefectures to an advisory late on Wednesday, reports the Japan News.

Warnings remained in effect from Hokkaido to Fukushima Prefecture, with people urged to stay away from the coast and stay in safe locations.