Toyota had been aiming for a high February production plan to meet strong demand.

Automakers have already had to cut production because of difficulties finding semiconductors and other components as the pandemic disrupts manufacturing around the world.

The automaker said parts such as semiconductors and wire harnesses are in short supply because of bottlenecks triggered by lockdowns in southeast Asia.

The automaker will reduce output again in November, but the impact will not be as painful as before and Toyota sees signs of recovery on the horizon.

The planned four-day halt to production at a Tsutsumi factory line, which makes Camry and Corolla models, will cut vehicle output by as many as 1,500 vehicles.

The latest January suspensions hit 19 lines at 11 plants in Japan, out of a total of 28 lines in 14 plants.

The Nissan Z car, a 400-hp, twin-turbo symbol of the struggling Japanese automaker's revival, is the latest product launch to be derailed by global supply chain woes.

The stoppages affect output of Lexus models and the Toyota Land Cruiser as the automaker runs short of components from plants in Southeast Asia where production has been disrupted.

The different approaches to COVID safety in Japan and the U.S. underscore differences in the cultures, writes an Automotive News reader in a letter to the editor.

The company says the persistent semiconductor shortage as well as uncertain geopolitical affairs have caused delays in logistics and parts delivery.

Japan's gauntlet of COVID-19 quarantine measures is as amazing for its overengineered, hyperefficient logistics as it is exasperating in its unyielding robotic bureaucracy. In a word: The ordeal is uniquely Japanese.

Toyota said heavy rains, especially in its home prefecture of Aichi in central Japan, impacted procurement of parts and will force it to stop production at a total of three lines in two domestic factories.

Toyota's global production plan for June stands at about 850,000 vehicles, a cut of about 100,000 vehicles.

Toyota cut its July global production plan by 50,000 vehicles.

Toyota said there was "a possibility" that it could lower its full-year production plan of 9.7 million vehicles as it faces a continuing shortage of parts due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in China.

VW brand, Audi and Seat will all cut production with the group's Wolfsburg plant in Germany restarting output with only one shift next week after the summer break.

Toyota could lose up to 480,000 units from January through March.

Japanese supplier Denso expects Toyota's production to recover quickly.

Unable to secure a number of parts, including wire harnesses from Vietnam and chips from Malaysia, Toyota said it would slash its vehicle output in September by 40 percent from previous plans.