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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Japan exports drop 45% to new low | Japan exports drop 45% to new low |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Japan's exports plunged more than 45% in January compared to a year ago to hit the lowest figure ever recorded, official figures showed. | Japan's exports plunged more than 45% in January compared to a year ago to hit the lowest figure ever recorded, official figures showed. |
| The trade deficit was worth 952.6 bn yen ($9.9bn; £6.8bn) and was the lowest figure since records began in 1979. | The trade deficit was worth 952.6 bn yen ($9.9bn; £6.8bn) and was the lowest figure since records began in 1979. |
| The demand for Japanese cars in particular dropped by 69%. | The demand for Japanese cars in particular dropped by 69%. |
| Demand for electronics and other goods has also slumped as global economies and consumer spending contract, pushing Japan deeper into recession. | Demand for electronics and other goods has also slumped as global economies and consumer spending contract, pushing Japan deeper into recession. |
| Serious crisis | |
| Japanese exports to the US, which is at the centre of the slide, fell nearly 53% in January while shipments to the European Union retracted by 47%, Japan's finance ministry said. | |
| Japan's export-led economy had previously been thought to be immune to the worst effects of the global recession., the AFP news agency reported. | |
| The government said last week that Japan's economy was in its most serious crisis since World War II, after it contracted annualised rate of 12.7% in the last quarter of 2008. | |
| This was its worst performance in almost 35 years, officials said. | |
| US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso have agreed to work together to stimulate economic demand and fight protectionism. | |
| The US and Japanese economies are respectively the world's largest and second-largest. |