Economic reports made public April 28 by the government and the Bank of Japan underscore the rapid deterioration of the Japanese economy in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear plant accidents.

A trade and industry ministry report states that the industrial and mining production index for March sank a record 15.3 percent from the previous month — surpassing the 8.6 percent drop in February 2009 after the Lehman Brothers shock. Overall production activities fell 31.9 percent in the devastated areas and 13.5 percent in other areas.

Transport machinery production suffered a record 46.4 percent drop, apparently due to the disruption of the parts supply chains. Japan's car industry, which is expected to play an important role in bringing back the economy to a path of steady recovery, is in bad shape.