A factory town in crisis shows Japan’s fading manufacturing era

Nissan Motor Co. workers walk outside its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, July 28, 2025. Nissan plans to end production at its Oppama plant, which has been in operation since 1961 and employs roughly 2,400 workers, by the end of fiscal 2027 and transfer its output to its Kyushu facility. - Bloomberg

OPPAMA, Japan: Nissan Motor Co.’s Oppama factory, opened in 1961, was once a crown jewel in Japan’s postwar rise to manufacturing powerhouse.

Today, it represents the dangers of being caught flatfooted in a rapidly changing industry.