A year on from tragedy, is Japan's economy showing signs of recovery?

Last year's earthquake could, arguably, not have come at a worse time for Japan. Even before the 9.0 magnitude quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit, killing over 18,000 people and disrupting industries from automakers to food producers, the country had suffered more than two decades of sub-par growth. Deflation, an ageing population and a moribund stock market had paralysed the economy for more than 20 years, and at the time of the triple disaster last March, Japan was battling a budget deficit of close to 10% of GDP and a stubbornly strong currency. In the immediate aftermath of the...