19-05-2025
Emergency prefectural govt. meeting over Nissan plant closures report
Officials in Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo held an emergency meeting on Monday after reports that Nissan Motor may shutter local plants.
Two factories in the prefecture are reportedly included in a cost-cutting plan: Oppama plant in Yokosuka City and a subsidiary's plant in Hiratsuka City.
During the emergency meeting, Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yuji said that the closure of the plants would have a massive impact on the local economy and employment. The governor said he asked Nissan to try and minimize the impact. Officials say Nissan told them on Monday that nothing had been decided.
The automaker aims to reduce its global workforce by 20,000 and cut seven production sites around the world by fiscal 2027. Sources say the plan includes two factories in Kanagawa prefecture.
The Oppama plant has been one of Nissan's main production sites for many years. As of last October, it had a workforce of about 3,900.
Businesses around the factory are worried about their futures. The manager of a boxed-lunch store says he was shocked to hear the news. Iwabuchi Norihiko said that if Nissan's workers are no longer around, his business will face a very difficult situation.
