Industrial production in Japan collapsed in August by 4,1% compared to the previous month (seasonally adjusted data); many sectors are responsible for the collapse, but especially the automotive one. Domestic demand is not buoyant, Europe is stagnating – if not worse – and Japanese cars in the Celestial Empire are openly boycotted (sales have dropped by half) after the dispute over some islands in the China Sea.
However, looking further in time, the Japanese automotive sector can rely on the most solid of foundations. The American 'Consumer Reports' – a magazine that collects consumer opinions on the quality of cars – has released today the latest report, which sees seven Japanese brands in the top seven places. After the embarrassing recalls of Toyota in 2010, when the Japanese company had to admit problems with some widely used models, Toyota has returned to the top of the rankings, or rather two rankings: that of quality, just mentioned, and that of quantity: in 2012 Toyota will again be the world's leading car manufacturer, again overtaking General Motors.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japan-industrial-output-falls-jobless-rate-unchanged
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/toyota-headed-to-record-global-sales
