1 year after Japan's quake, 20% of affected businesses closed

Of about 27,000 Japanese businesses in prefectures affected by last year's earthquake and tsunami, more than 20 percent have not resumed operations, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey. Some have decided to go out of business permanently, heightening the sense of crisis in the region, as local businesses should be a pillar of reconstructing the economy there. A total of 27,149 commercial and industrial businesses in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures have been affected by last March's disaster. Of them, 5,947, or 22 percent, have temporarily or permanently closed, the survey found. (bostonherald.com)