Japan Is In the Face Of Economic Recession
疲软的日本经济
Asian economies showed more signs that recession is deepening across the world with Japan's industrial output falling at a record pace and South Korea warning it faces an "unprecedented crisis."
日本工业生产量正以创纪录的速度下降，韩国则声称自己正在面临“史无前例的危机”，亚洲各国的情况显示经济衰退正在全球范围内不断加剧。
Japan's industrial output marked a record fall last month, figures out showed, raising fears that the world's second-biggest economy is sliding towards deflation.
根据数据显示，日本上个月的工业生产量创下了历史新低，这使得人们开始越来越担心作为世界第二大经济体的日本可能即将出现通货紧缩。
Manufacturing output sank by 8.1% in November, the government said, the biggest drop since records began in 1953. The ministry of economy, trade and industry estimates output will decline by a similar amount this month and by more than 2% in January. If the forecasts are right, output for the three months to December will shrink by a record 11%.
日本政府表示，11月（2008年）该国的制造业产出下降了8.1个百分点，这是自1953以来的最大降幅。大藏省（主管日本财政、金融、税收的最高行政机关）则预测本月降幅仍会维持相同水平，而1月份还会继续下降，降幅将超过2%。如果预测属实，第四季度的产出将会下降11%。
The previous record monthly drop, of 4.3% in January 2001, came as Japan was struggling to drag itself out of a deflationary spiral.
而这之前几个月的产出下降纪录为2001年1月的4.3%，当时日本正试图摆脱通缩的恶性循环。

The figures suggest Japan's export-dependent economy is contracting faster than previously feared and comes amid warnings that deflation is looming for the second time in less than a decade. Sharp falls in the price of oil and other commodities slowed price rises to a meagre 1% from a year earlier, compared with 1.9% in October.
目前的数据显示，出口依赖型的日本经济下降速度比此前人们所担心的更快，关于10内将会出现第二次通缩的担忧也开始不绝于耳。随着石油和其他大宗商品价格的大幅下降，商品的同比价格上涨幅度却不到1%，而10月份上涨幅度仍维持在1.9%。
Unemployment rose to 3.9%，up 0.2% from the previous month, with the overall jobless rate reaching more than 2.5 million, an increase of 100,000 from last year, the health and welfare ministry said.
卫生福利部表示，失业率已经上升到了3.9%,比上个月增加了2个百分点，总失业人数超过250万,同比增加了 10万人。
Japan's exporters have seen their profits quickly eroded by the soaring yen-now hovering around a 13-year high against the dollar-and a dramatic decline in sales in the US and Europe.
日元兑美元升至13年来的高点；日元的升值迅速削减了日本：出口企业的利润使日本产品在欧美的销售大幅下降。
The downturn has forced the country's powerhouse car and electronics makers to slash production and cut work forces, with Toyota announcing its first ever loss this week. The labour ministry said 85,000 temporary and part-time workers would lose their jobs by the end of March, well over double the number forecast last month.
衰退迫使日本汽车业巨头和电子制造业巨头削减产量并裁员，本周丰田公司首次宣布出现亏损。劳动部预计明年3月将会有8.5万名临时和兼职员工失去工作，这一数字是上月预测值的两倍还多。
Households are tightening their belts amid rising uncertainty over jobs, with spending falling 0.5% in November.
由于担心失业，家庭都在缩减支出，11月 的家庭支出下降了0.5%。
The government has unveiled financial stimulus packages that include 12tn yen (￡ 90bn) in extra spending, and this week proposed a record 88.5to budget in an attempt to prevent the economy from collapse.
政府已经宣布了一项包括12万亿日元 (900亿英镑）额外支出的经济刺激计划，本周 (2009年4月第二个星期）更是提出史无前例的88.5万亿日元的财政预算案，以遏制经济崩溃。
Having taken interest rates to almost zero last week, Japan's financial authorities appear to be running out of options.
在上周(2009年4月第一个星期）利率被下调至接近零以后，除此之外日本金融当局似乎已经无计可施了。
The Bank of Japan recently cut interest rates by 0.2% to 0.1% as central banks around the world moved to ease credit. The BoJ also increased its outright purchases of government bonds and, for the first time, said it would buy commercial paper outright in an attempt to ease the pressure on cash-strapped firms.
各国央行纷纷采取行动增加信贷，日本银行最近也将利率从0.2%降至0.1%。同时也增加了对政府债券的购买量，并首次宣布将购买商业票据，以求缓解企业因资金短缺所承受的压力。
The prime minister, Taro Aso, described the turmoil as a "financial tsunami"."We need to take unprecedented measures when in an extraordinary economic situation," he told reporters. "Japan cannot evade this tsunami, but by taking bold measures we hope to be the first in the world to come out of recession."
日本首相麻生太郎称目前的金融动荡是一场“金融海嘯”。他对记者说，“在当前特殊的经济形势下，我们需要采取前所未有的措施。日本无法回避这次海嘯，但我们可以采取有力的措施第一个走出衰退。”
Analysts said production had "fallen off a cliff" and were pessimistic about the prospects for an early recovery.
分析家们说工业生产量是“垂直下降”，并对迅速恢复的可能性表示悲观。