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Tokyo, Japan (AHN) – Nissan and Sony are starting operations at plants in Japan this week as companies in the disaster-stricken Asian nation slowly resume production.

Five of six Nissan factories began producing components on Monday despite continued supply chain issues. Workers at the plants in the southern prefectures of Kanagawa and Tochigi are scheduled to start assembling vehicles on Thursday.

Nissan, which reported damage to 1,300 U.S.-bound cars at one of its plants following the quake, said vehicle production would continue until supplies run out.

The company’s sixth factory, the engine plant in Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture, is still under repair and employees are on standby status. Aftershocks are still affecting the area and prolonging restoration work, according to Nissan.

The automaker’s American operations has been unaffected so far and will follow regular schedules this week. It does not expect a sales shortage in the short-term, with a rearward day’s supply of 47 cars and 49 vehicles for the Infiniti division.

In addition, there are more than 1,500 Nissan LEAF vehicles either on their way from Japan or already at U.S. ports.

Meanwhile, Sony, Japan’s largest electronics exporter, said Sunday it would resume production at a factory in northern Tochigi prefecture.

The company shut down 10 plants following the Mar. 11 quake that struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, which caused a 10-meter high tsunami and led to a partial meltdown at a nuclear facility north of Tokyo.

Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of the company with Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson, has said it anticipates supply chain disruptions. It is seeking alternative suppliers and searching for possible relocation sites for manufacturing key components.

Operations at other manufacturers remain halted. Honda over the weekend extended the suspension in its production of cars at its Sayama plant, and motorcycles at its Kumamoto factory until Wednesday.

The Tokyo-based Honda said its resumption on Thursday would depend on “the status of the recovery of parts supply as well as Japanese society as a whole.”

Fuji Heavy Industries has likewise halted production at all its Subaru plants, citing its supply chain and issues in the power supply.

Toyota has stopped production at all its plants in Japan but last week assured customers and dealerships in the United States that the impact of the quake and nuclear crisis on North American operations is “limited.”

There are growing fears of shortage of the Japanese car maker’s Prius, the world’s most popular hybrid. Toyota had said battery production plans in Japan “are to be determined” and that every effort is being made to “minimize any long-term impact on Prius availability.”

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