Japan operations still impacted as quake relief gathers pace

International and local express and parcel operators in Japan today resumed some of theiroperations suspended after Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami as international relief

Japan’s worst earthquake on record, which measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, and the resultingtsunami not only killed at least 10,000 in the north-east of the country but damaged the Fukushimanuclear power plant so badly that a nuclear meltdown is now feared. Moreover, the catastrophe alsothreatens the world’s third-largest economy with a major slowdown that could hit the supply chainand impact on the business of express and parcel companies for weeks and months to come.

FedEx Express resumed flights to Toyko’s Narita airport on Sunday after the airport re-openedbut warned of delivery delays in general. “Due to the instability of critical infrastructureincluding transportation, power and fuel, pick-up and delivery services, FedEx Express will notaccept shipments destined for eastern Japan from any location effective immediately,” the companyannounced today.

FedEx said it is working with its long-standing humanitarian organisation partners American RedCross, Heart to Heart International, Water Missions and Direct Relief International to assist inbringing critical medical and other emergency supplies required for the recovery efforts currentlyunderway.

DHL Express said it is taking all possible measures to restore operations across Eastern Japan.At present, its pick-up and delivery service in the Tohoku Area remains suspended temporarily whilepick-up and delivery service has resumed in some areas of Ibaraki Prefecture. In the Kanto area aswell as western Japan, the company’s pick-up and delivery service is operating normally. DHL GlobalForwarding has resumed operations at Narita and Haneda airports but is warning of delays forshipments between eastern Japan and Europe or the USA.

TNT Express said its Japan head office and depots resumed operations over the weekend, albeitnot at full capacity. TNT Japan is now clearing the backlog of imports in Tokyo and Osaka and TNTExpress was hoping to resume full exports to Japan as of today.  Within the country, TNTExpress said it expected to operate most pick-up and delivery (PUD) services in Tokyo and Osakatoday and to continue operations in northern Japan wherever possible.

UPS Japan has suspended services in parts of northern and central Japan, and told customers toexpect service delays in northern, eastern and parts of central Japan.  Its service guaranteehas been suspended in those areas.

Japan Post has halted many operations, including mail and parcel services, in areas affected bythe earthquake and tsunami, and is advising customers of delays in other areas. Yamato Transportstopped collections of parcels in the affected areas and warned of long delays in other regions dueto the damage to ground infrastructure. Similarly, Sagawa Express stopped deliveries to and fromthe eastern prefectures. However, it said it has transported emergency relief supplies such asblankets to the quake-affected areas on behalf of the Red Cross.

Meanwhile, international emergency rescue and relief efforts to help Japan cope with the impactof the earthquake and tsunami gathered pace over the weekend and today. More than 15 countries haveflown in search and rescue teams, and countries around the world have offered personnel or reliefsupplies.

A United Nations “disaster assessment and coordination” team (UNDAC) arrived in Japan today andwill assist the Japanese government in providing advice on incoming international relief goods andservices with the aim of limiting unsolicited contributions, the United Nations Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said.

In addition, the Japanese economy will be hit by power cuts as the government rations powersupplies in the aftermath of the quake and tsunami. The power cuts will force manufacturers toscale back production and businesses to limit their activities. As a result, the country’s domesticand international supply chain could be impacted by a shortage of finished goods, components orparts. The country’s four major car makers, Toyota, Honda, Nisan and Mitsubishi, have suspendedproduction until Wednesday at least, with Honda shutting down until Friday. This is in order tocheck their buildings and save electricity usage.