Japan: The economic repercussions

Japan has been struck by a gigantic natural catastrophe. Most tragic is the heavy loss of human life and livelihoods for the people in the devastated regions. Assessments of the economic consequences are currently only possible in an environment of very limited information and are thus associated with a high degree of uncertainty. In a worst case scenario, with a massive leakage of radioactivity, grave and enduring consequences for the Japanese economy loom.