Nissan Motor will set up a labor-management committee to discuss the shutdown of a major production plant south of Tokyo at the end of fiscal 2027, sources said Friday.

The committee will hold its first meeting as early as this month to begin talks on measures for current workers at the Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, such as transferring them to Nissan Motor Kyushu Co., a subsidiary based in Kanda, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, which will take over operations from the plant

After the talks conclude, management is planning to interview individual plant workers from February. The schedule may be delayed if the talks are difficult.

The committee, which will include senior officials from the personnel affairs department, is also expected to discuss possible additional retirement benefits for plant workers who choose to leave, as well as support for them to find new jobs.

Currently, about 2,400 employees are engaged in vehicle production at the Oppama plant. Nissan's basic plan is to transfer them all to Nissan Motor Kyushu, but how many of them will accept the offer is unclear because they would need to relocate. In addition, companies nearby are offering to hire them amid labor shortages, according to a Nissan labor official.

Earlier this month, Nissan formally informed its labor union that it will stop vehicle production at the Oppama plant in March 2028. The company also presented plans to maintain about 160 jobs, including for the production of repair parts and vehicle emissions testing, as well as research and development facilities.