Japan has just been hit again by an earthquake. There have predictions of further activity and an hour ago another quake hit near Mt Fuji, Japan's highest mountain and a major tourist attraction.
The quake measured a 6 on the Richter scale but because it is inland there is no tsunami alert. Fortunately there are no nuclear power plants in that region as it is mainly a rural area with farming and tourism its major income sources.
The Japanese economy which I mentioned in a previous post may struggle to deal with this crisis has indeed reacted with the stock market dropping over 10% today. This has hit Yoshi, Mami's dad, really hard as he manages his own super and had invested quite heavily in shares. I'm sure he is not the only one and this is going to be one of the many far reaching impacts of the quakes.
Ishinomaki was also a major source of paper for Australia and New Zealand but latest reports have said that Ishinomaki's paper mill, which is a major industry in the town, has been badly damaged and is not functioning. Just when people seemed to be coming to terms with this the country is hit again. It is just beyond belief.
For those who remember Maiko our friend who worked at the secondary college, the second quake was recorded as a 3 in Gunma where she lives. We will contact her tomorrow to check how she is.
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