We have had a lot of inquiries about the effect of the Japan tsunami on massage chair production, so I figured I'd address that in this blog post. But, first of all, I feel to mourn with those who have suffered so much as a result of this natural disaster. I am absolutely amazed at the grace with which the Japanese people handle this crisis, but so sad over the pain and suffering of this wonderful people. Our family's thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan.

The only company that has addressed the effect of the disaster on massage chair production is Inada. Here is a quote from their last correspondence with their retailers, yesterday:

"As of right now the recent earthquake in Japan will not affect shipments in April. However, some components are manufactured in areas of Japan that were affected by the earthquake and, as a result, we may see some delays in May. We will pass along more information as soon as it becomes available. Please submit purchase orders immediately as dates for back orders are continuing to move back."

The Inada chairs are already back-ordered until mid-April. That back-order status is not because of the Japan situation...it is just inventory control issues. But, May chair inventory will be affected.

I know the Panasonic 30007, which is the only Panasonic model manufactured in Japan, is back-ordered until April 10-15, but the US distributor did not know if that was related to the tsunami or not.

Human Touch and Omega chairs are not affected as far as I know because they ship from China and not Japan.

I hope this helps.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com