A Toyota Motor assembly unit has decided to axe one of its production lines at a plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, in the first reduction of domestic production by a Toyota group company since the March disasters, the Asahi Shimbun reported.

Kanto Auto Works will cut annual production at its aging Higashi Fuji plant in 2012 to 180,000-190,000 vehicles from the current level of 210,000-220,000, the Asahi said, according to Dow Jones.

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The company will shift production to plants in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region and the United States, the report added.

The Asahi said while Toyota President Akio Toyoda has made a point of maintaining the company’s production base in Japan, Toyota has acknowledged that its 3.6m unit domestic production capacity is well above the 3mminimum output level it has maintained for many years.

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