Summer in Japan has traditionally meant fireworks and beer halls, but this year the post-March 11 earthquake mood seems to be continuing, casting a shadow over these hot-weather staples.

Some 60 percent of firework festivals in the Tokyo area — and 20 percent nationwide — have been canceled, and beer sales are down.

On July 12, the June figures for sales by Japan's five major beer companies showed a fall in beer shipments of 11.1 percent compared with the same period a year earlier; shipments for the first half of the year were down 3.5 percent from last year.