Japan's economy stumbling in wake of disaster - latimes.com

Reporting from Tokyo and Beijing

The world's third-largest economy faltered Monday, the first full business day since Friday's devastating earthquake, with the Japanese stock market plunging and the country's central bank moving to inject $183 billion into money markets to try to stem the financial damage.

Although the quake's fury bypassed Japan's industrial heartland, the shock waves were felt throughout the business sector, from big auto plants to small mom-and-pop establishments. Many of Japan's leading companies, such as Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., closed some production facilities, further jeopardizing the exporting powerhouse.

via latimes.com