Honda operations in Ohio can continue operating for about four weeks, and the company will evaluate the situation beyond that, a Honda of America spokesman said Tuesday.

Honda said Tuesday that 17 employees have been injured in Japan after last week’s earthquake and tsunami. Damage was widespread in the Tochigi area, where the company has several facilities.

Production had been suspended at five Honda plants in Japan as of Monday. From Tuesday through Sunday, production will be suspended at a sixth plant. Ron Lietzke, a spokesman for Honda in Ohio, said the automaker is voluntarily suspending production in Japan to ease power demands.

Most of the parts Honda in North America receive are produced in North America, but the company also relies on some parts from Japan. Given parts already in transit from Japan and stored in North America, Honda can continue operating in Ohio for about another month, Lietzke said. After that, Honda leaders will evaluate where they are.

“The situation has been changing daily for us,” Lietzke said.

He added that there are no plans to cease North American operations. Ward’s Auto analysts say Honda has a 73-day supply of vehicles on lots, compared to a 68-day supply at this point last year. That gives U.S. Honda dealers a cushion, Miller said.

“We did have (supply) ships already on the water when the earthquake hit,” Miller said. “That helped us.”

However, it’s not just a question of Japanese Honda plants. It’s also a matter of Japanese suppliers to those plants, he said. There is less certain information about them available.

“We know a lot less about our suppliers than we know about our own facilities,” Miller said.

With plants in Marysville, East Liberty and Anna, Honda has about 1,300 employees from the Miami Valley, including about 300 in a Troy distribution center.

Honda also said it will match donations to the Red Cross from its American employees.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.