Toyota begins weekend factory operation for energy saving+

NAGOYA, July 3 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. on Sunday began its weekend operation of factories as part of energy-saving efforts in the wake of the suspension in May of a nuclear power plant that serves central Japan.
Other major carmakers, including Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co., began operating their factories on weekends on Saturday, a day after the government imposed restrictions on electricity consumption by large-lot users in eastern and northeastern Japan to avert power shortages in the wake of the March 11 disaster.
To avoid the concentration of electricity use on weekdays amid power shortfalls this summer, the automobile manufacturing industry will operate on the weekends and have substitute holidays on Thursdays and Fridays until September.
While most automakers began the measure by taking last Thursday and Friday off and working instead on Saturday and Sunday, Toyota continued regular operations until Thursday, and set Friday and Saturday as holidays to secure consecutive days off.
The Toyota group, however, will operate some factories on Thursdays to catch up with orders for parts and vans, according to company officials.
The government placed curbs on power consumption to large-lot users in the service areas of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. in eastern and northeastern Japan, respectively, until September to deal with power supply shortages, as the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear crisis at a power plant of Tokyo Electric and suspended other plants run by the two utilities.
Toyota's move comes in response to calls by Chubu Electric Power Co. to save energy after the utility fully suspended the Hamaoka nuclear power plant, situated on a major active fault zone in Shizuoka Prefecture, based on a request by the central government.
Due to the suspension, Chubu Electric's excess supply capacity is expected to be around 7 percent in July, short of the 8 to 10 percent needed for stable supply.