According to numerous reports coming from Japan, Sony factories that make among other things Blu-ray discs, have been shut down due to the 9.0 earthquake that occured outside the coast of Japan around 05:46 UTC today. The reports at this stage may not be accurate and it is not known if there are going to be any lasting impacts. As more information becomes available over the next few days and as the impact becomes more clear we will update the news.
Sony Corporation informed that all its operations in Japan have been stopped. The company has six factories in northern Japan, one of them manufacturing Blu-ray discs. Other companies still assessing damage include Panasonic, Sharp, Canon and Epson.
Even when factories are not damaged, production is likely to be temporarily disrupted.
However, the economic repercussions are dwarfed by the heavy loss of life, as hundreds of people are feared dead and thousands injured by the quake and subsequent tsunami. Several aid and relief initiatives are already in place; if you are interested,
click here.