Japan's domestic food supply faces plenty of threats, including nuclear radiation, a crippled distribution infrastructure and a shaky electric grid. But there's some good news for U.S. suppliers: A shortage of domestic beef and pork could increase the market for imported meat.
The Japanese government says the economic toll from the earthquake and tsunami could exceed $300 billion, considerably higher than other estimates.
Both a major buyer and processor of fish, Japan is an important link in the global seafood distribution chain. So the effects of the disaster -- including the ruined ports, roads, fisheries and processing centers -- have taken their toll on the seafood industry worldwide.
The Group of Seven countries on Thursday agreed to intervene to reduce the value of the Japanese yen, which has surged to record levels after last week's earthquake and tsunami. A strong yen could cripple the country's exports and further damage its economy.
The Japanese automaker has extended its halt on vehicle production at its plants in Japan through March 22, as the country continues to reel from the devastation of last week's massive 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
Forget political correctness. Business jargon is one of the last bastions of old-fashioned, rough and tumble crudity. Little surprise, then, that boardroom buzzwords sometimes veer into racism, sexism or -- in the case of "open kimono" -- a combination of the two.
Although Japan's stock market has been weak for the last 20 years, there are signs that a shift may be under way that could transform that nation into the gateway to Asia's emerging-market consumers. For patient investors looking for a contrarian play with huge upside potential, it's time to re-examine Japan.
When Toyota Motor reports quarterly earnings tomorrow it will give investors the latest snapshot of how big a toll massive recalls and tepid auto sales are taking on the company's bottom line.
Japanese mobile-phone users are about 70% more likely to regularly use their devices to connect to the Internet than Americans, and more than twice as likely to be connected as European mobile users.
Japan's central bank has cut its key interest rate to a range of 0% to 0.1%, effectively introducing a zero-interest-rate policy. The unanimous vote came Tuesday after a two-day meeting of the Bank of Japan's nine-member policy board.
Toyota is facing new accusations that it dragged its feet in issuing a recall. The world's largest auto company recently recalled 270,000 Lexus sedans to fix faulty valve springs that could cause the cars' engines to stall while they are in motion -- a problem it has known about since 2007.
The U.S. heads for a record $1.56 trillion deficit this year, but who will fund that debt? The largest Treasury holders, China and Japan, are cutting back and no other obvious takers have stepped forward.
