Hitachi starts power-saving shift

Leading Japanese electronics maker Hitachi has started shifting some of its operations to weekends to cope with expected power shortages.

The firm is closing its group factories in eastern Japan on Thursdays and Fridays, to operate them on weekends from July to September.

The shift is part of efforts called for by the government to cope with possible power shortages due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and the closure of many reactors of other plants for safety inspections.

The government has asked large-lot users in eastern Japan to cut their power consumption by 15 percent during the summer. Violators could face fines.

On Friday, one of the firm's plants in Hitachi City, north of Tokyo, that produces turbines for thermal power stations and has about 7,000 employees was quiet, with closed gates and shutters.

Hitachi says it's taking other power-saving measures such as covering walls of its office buildings with leafy plants to block sunlight.