Ok here are some effects to the future

[nadinbrzezinski]

Leave the nuclear disaster for a moment...

I am going to talk of the economy...

The damage to the Japanese economy is MASSIVE. They will pull funding to rebuild the country... the whole upper third is heavily damaged.

The effect is that it could literally put a kibosh to globalization for multiple reasons

Industries that will be affected... if you own a Japanese car (insert brand here) Just in Time delivery is gone to hell and a hand basket...

1/3 of electronics still are done in Japan.

Oh let me tell you about food production (and that has to do with those pesky isotopes and fears, real or imagined)

So you can count on a screeching halt to the economic expansion.

Yes, it is time of talking about that too...

On the bright side. Japan should come out of the decade long malaise... the country needs rebuilding after all.

[Zoeisright]

1. I'm not a religious person, but ...

holy mother of God.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. or Gaia.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I was talking about that today at the Honda dealership

I needed to have my Hybrid system changed... a week from now they don't expect to have parts.

[tabatha]

6. Shoot, I have a Honda that needs service.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. They had to change the hybrid system and the large battery

both are made in Japan. If you need an oil change, those parts are made in the US

[dkf]

2. What about food production?

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. depending on how much radiation makes it across the pacific

we may have issues with local hot zones... in california among other lovely places. If the central valley gets hit, well the central valley produces quite a bit of food for the rest of the country.

Shit, fear alone might do it.

[tabatha]

7. Maybe this will reverse globalism for a while.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. That is what I think it will do

[Rex]

9. And food production contamination.

There are some huge issues that will have to be dealt with after the nuclear situation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Absolutely, whether we get the real article or not

I think people will be afraid.

[guruoo]

12. Might the Japanese ramp up production in their US factories?

Imagine, a Japanese car, made in the USA, then exported to Japan.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Depending on a LOT of things

it may happen... we are a cheap labor source

[Motown_Johnny]

13. I would expect factories in China and/or Korea to retool plants and try to assume

the manufacturing role that Japan had been filling.


Wages are lower in those countries anyways. This will just give the corporations a reason to spend their insurance money in places that cut their costs.


Give it a year, it will be business as usual. Except that the prices for everything will be higher. The short term shortage will drive prices higher and they will never come back down (as always).

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. a lot depends on... cloud

[MadHound]

16. Not to be morbid or gloat, but this probably will help our economy

I've heard that both a Sony and a Honda plant were destroyed, thus you can expect the US based plants of those corporations to ramp up production.

Furthermore, Japan is going to need all sorts of manufactured goods, another opportunity for the US to ramp up our manufacturing base.

This is going to be a long term deal, so we can expect hiring to pick up, along with the rest of our economy.

The question is can Japan's financial situation withstand this blow. If not, well, we could all be in deep shit. If the world's third largest economy collapses, it will send massive economic shock waves around the world.

[DemReadingDU]

17. Earthquake cripples Japan's Consumer Electronics industry

3/15/11 Earthquake cripples Japan's CE industry

The operations of Japan’s leading consumer electronics companies have been severely affected by the major earthquake and tsunami in the north of the country.

Canon, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony have all issued statements outlining injuries to employees, damage to plant and equipment and disruptions to operations.

Plant closures and production outages from Japan's host of high-tech companies were among the biggest threats to the global supply chain, according to analysts."Japan remains critical to the global tech food chain," according to analyst firm CLSA.

"Beyond damage to facilities, supply chain disruptions driven by road-port-power outages are key factors to watch," CLSA said, estimating a fifth of all global technology products are made in Japan.

Japan accounts for one-fifth of the world’s semiconductor production, including 40% of output of memory chips.

read for more info about each of these manufacturers
http://www.photoimagingnews.com.au/news/earthquake-cripples-japan-s-ce-industry