Bicycles, especially electric models, are in short supply in Japan amid the spread of the new coronavirus.
Sluggish production in China, as well as imports from that country, are creating difficulties for retailers and manufacturers in the busy period ahead of the new fiscal and academic year.
"We have no idea when products will be delivered, and it's been like this for more than a month. There's not enough stock left, so if we can't give our customers a delivery date, we'll lose them," the 46-year-old owner of a bicycle shop in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, said with a sigh, speaking of the situation facing relatively small shops.
Delivery has stopped of electric bicycles, which are a popular item, and the owner only had a few left in stock.
About 90% of the bicycles sold in Japan are manufactured overseas -- mostly in China, according to statistics compiled by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Finance Ministry.
Japan also depends heavily on China for parts used in domestic production. Yamaha Motor Co., which makes electric bicycles and other items, puts motors and batteries made in Japan into frames and other parts imported from China.
As part of efforts to prevent the spread of infections with COVID-19, many factories in China have reduced their production and the distribution system is not fully functioning, delaying exports to Japan.
"Parts for some models are out of stock, and we have a backlog of orders," a Yamaha Motor official said.
Retailers are especially short of electric bicycles to carry young children, which usually come with back seats. Panasonic Corp. says on its website that the production of some models has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. As of Saturday, most of Panasonic's models of electric bicycles were out of stock on its online store.
Bicycles see their highest sales in March and April, in time for such events as children entering kindergarten and elementary and junior high schools. According to a 2019 survey by the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute, based in Tokyo, more than 30 bicycles were sold per store in each of those months, nearly double that of other months.
The store in Setagaya Ward has been unable to keep up with customer demand, and as a result, sales have declined to less than half of what they normally would be at this time of the year.
"We have no choice but to focus on checking and repairing bikes for the time being," the owner said.
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