Just as automakers were starting to recover from the slump triggered by the 2008 global financial crisis, along came the March 11 disasters to knock them down again.
While most carmakers reported upbeat earnings results for the year ended in March, Japan's eight major automakers withheld their forecasts for the current year because of the uncertainties caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Carmakers saw sharp profit growth in fiscal 2010 thanks to brisk sales in emerging economies that more than offset weak domestic demand.