Japan car sales drop nearly 40 percentApril 1, 2011 - 12:09 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan's car sales plunged nearly 40 percent in March following the tsunami and nuclear disaster, an industry group said Friday, April 1. Automakers sold 279,389 cars in Japan last month, down 37 percent - the biggest ever year-on-year drop for March, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said. The plunge in sales was due to weak consumer sentiment following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which decimated much of northern Japan, and the ensuing radiation leaks at the coastal Fukushima nuclear power plant. "People are simply reluctant to buy cars at this time. The tsunami and the ongoing nuclear disaster have depressed consumer sentiment," said association spokesman Masashi Miyajima, adding that many people in the quake-hit areas were also canceling car purchases, AP reported. The tsunami caused massive disruptions in the supply of auto parts, forcing Toyota Motor Corp. and others to suspend production. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Armenia Security Council chief traveling to Qatar Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will travel on a working visit to Qatar. Armenian Foreign Minister regrets “tragic loss” of Iranian counterpart The Armenian Foreign Ministry has expressed shock over the death of the Iranian President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Armenian PM sends condolences to Iran Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a message of condolence to the Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. |