The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan
2011年3月11日に発生致しました東北地方太平洋沖地震の被害に遭われた関係者の方々におかれましては心よりお見舞い申し上げると共に、一日も早い被災地の復興を切にお祈り申し上げます。
豊かな環境から一変した困難きわまりない今の生活を見ると物事の儚さを知らしめた自然の猛威にただ素直に折れ合う生き方を模索するしかあるまいと考えさせられた
Current situation after the recent earthquakes and tsunami
We who are in Tokyo are Okay without any direct damages even after the recent earthquakes and tsunami happened on March 11, however, in these areas of North-East regions of the main island here in Japan, especially on sea shore sides were most seriously damaged and tens of thousands of people lost their lives and also still the same number of people were missing.
In the neighboring areas, many of cities and towns governments are accepting evacuated people from the most seriously damaged sea shore areas.
Besides the problems in North-East areas, even in our main markets of Tokyo itself and its surrounding areas with over thirty million of population with highest income people in Japan, due to electric power shutting down caused by the damages on nuclear power plants, consumers are not going outside even on holidays and many of commercial buildings including shops and restaurants close at PM 4:30 or PM 6:00, while they used to be open up to PM 8:00, PM 9:00 or even later, in order to catch up office working peoples’ shopping after their working hours during week days.
This situation of electric power supply would be continued at least for another several months or even more, which is also very seriously affecting on industrial production side.
At the same time, many of automobile manufacturers’ produciton lines have been shut down, because of suspeneded supplies’ production for many of parts manufactured in these factories located in seriously damaged areas and also, very limited operation hours which is due to electric power supplies. Not only here in Japan but also even European and also American automobile manufacturers are reducint their production operation, which is due to shortage of supply of parts from Japan to be assembled.
Even commuting train operation is not normal here in Tokyo area even now, due to shortage of electric power supply, while train transportation is the main one for commuting here in Japan. It is said that the upper limit of electric power supply around Tokyo areas is now only 34 million kilo watt, while its peak of consumption is estimated around 42-44 million now in this season and from end April up to early June, it is expected to go down some 38 million, due to no more consumption for heating system under warm climate, but from End June up to End August, it should go up more than 64 million to cover cooling air conditioning which is totally over much against the current capacity of electric power supply in Tokyo area including its surrounding ones that have been substantially reduced by these four of damaged nuclear power plants as well as some other conventional type power plants which might be recovered within a few months, but no hope of recovery for nuclear ones.
The above tight supply of electric power now gives very serious affections to industrial production and also commercial business activities especially eastern half of Japan.
It is really very hard for us to foresee how it would go for our economy and businesses even for just coming one month or so, because nobody has ever experienced this kind of situation in the past and everybody says that we have to be ready to face against even the much worse market situation and economy than the worst one that we have ever experienced.