Aftershocks will shake Japan's economy

Analysts are still assessing the likely extent of the disruption to economic activity of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. But the knock-on effects on the global supply chain are becoming apparent.

Two weeks after Japan's tsunami, over 11,000 people are known to have been killed and radiation is still leaking out of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The Japanese government has said that the cost of repairing the damage to buildings and infrastructure would be 16trn to 25trn (the latter is around 5% of annual GDP). Analysts are still assessing the likely extent of the disruption to economic activity, while the knock-on effects on the global supply chain are becoming apparent. The yen has weakened to 83 to the US dollar, from its post-quake record of under 79.

What the commentators said

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