Japan logs first trade deficit since 1980

[Art_from_Ark]

2. That's another thing that's hurting Japan right now-- the excessively strong yen

It's killing exports, and Japanese companies that do business in other countries and have contracts based on the local currency are really getting clobbered right now. I know a Japanese manager whose company is getting killed with a triple whammy-- their Chinese subsidiary stole their technology and are using it to undercut the parent company, one of the manufacturing plants suffered extensive damage as a result of the earthquake, and their Euro-based contracts are losing them money. The manager says that they more they sell to their European customers, the more they lose, because the contracts were negotiated when the Euro was much stronger (=could be exchanged for more yen) than it is today.