The Quake's Economic Impact, Japan And Beyond

Japan’s economy stumbles in the wake of disaster. We look at the global impact.

Right behind the human tragedy and the desperate nuclear threat in Japan stand large questions about Japan’s economy and the world’s.

The standard expectation is that after a natural disaster come pain and setback, then rebuilding and new growth. With a little luck, this will be Japan’s path, too, but the earthquake’s blow has been heavy.

Ten Sony plants shut down. Five Toshiba. Forty-five percent of Toyota’s production, down. Energy grid, broken. Nuclear threat, real. And this is a huge chunk of the world economy.

This hour On Point: After the quake – Japan’s economy, and the world’s.
- Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Ken Belson, correspondent for the New York Times.

Marcus Noland, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an expert on Asian economics.

David Griffith, professor of global marketing and international business at Michigan State University. He's been conducting business research on Japan for over twenty years.