Nippon Paper announced on the 10th that it has established a "Damage Investigation Committee" to determine the cause of the damage and collapse of the smokestack at its Yatsushiro Mill, which was hit by the July 28 Kumamoto earthquake. The committee is made up of experts in earthquake engineering. At the Yatsushiro Mill, the earthquake caused the smokestack to collapse, resulting in nine deaths and other severe damage. Removal of part of the smokestack began in late August, but a fire broke out during demolition work on the 3rd of this month, and the prospect for resuming operations remains unclear.
Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.Earthquake collapsed the Yatsushiro Mill smokestack, killing nine and leaving operations suspended with no clear restart, disrupting production capacity.
