In The Days

• Source: BBC
• News Date: 2/27/09
• Submitted By: Mike Raley

Consumers around the world no longer want to buy Japanese cars

Japan’s industrial production fell by 10% in January – the biggest monthly drop since records began more than half a century ago, the government says.

To view dictionary popup window put your cursor on the blue scripture words.

Perplexity

“…upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity•Strongs 640: aporia, ap-or-ee´-a; from the same as 639; a (state of) quandary:—perplexity.
•Strongs 639: aporeo, ap-or-eh´-o; from a compound of 1 (as a negative particle) and the base of 4198; to have no way out, i.e. be at a loss (mentally):— (stand in) doubt, be perplexed….”
—Luke 21:25

Root of All Evil

“For the love of money is the root •Strongs 4491: rhiza, hrid´-zah; apparently a primary word; a “root” (literally or figuratively):—root of all.of all evil•Strongs 2556: kakos, kak-os´; apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas 4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:—bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked. …..”
—1 Timothy 6:10a

It is the fourth successive month that factory output has fallen, as the world’s second-biggest economy suffers its worst recession in decades.
The latest figures come days after the government said exports plunged 45.7% in January compared with a year ago.
Japan’s economy is suffering because of falling demand for its products abroad.
Consumers around the world afraid of losing their jobs in the global downturn no longer want to buy Japanese electronic gadgets and cars, the BBC’s Roland Buerk in Tokyo says.
The country’s car production plunged a record 41% year-on-year in January, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
It said 576,539 vehicles were produced in January compared with 976,975 for the same month of 2008.
Painfully exposed
The Japanese themselves are also shopping less, with average household spending falling 5.9% in January compared with the same month a year ago, our correspondent says.
Jobs are also being slashed – the number of people unemployed rose by more than 200,000.
“The recession is having an increasing impact on the real economy,” Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said.
Japan was once seen as relatively immune to the global crisis because its banks were not as exposed to bad loans as those in the US and Europe, our correspondent says.
But he says that Japan’s reliance on foreign markets to drive its economy out of a long slump in the 1990s has left it painfully exposed.