JAPAN

Auto Parts Imports Surge: Japanese auto makers purchased $7.2 billion in automobile parts made in the United States in the six months through September, a 21% increase on the year, according to a Nikkei English News report. And when the financial year ends in March, those 11 auto makers, either by importing to Japan or through their plants in the United States, will have bought 10% more U.S. auto components than a year ago, the report projected. Most of the $7.2 billion was spent by U.S.-based Japanese car plants. Imports to Japan were stifled by the fact that car output from there has decreased significantly. Japan’s November car sales reflected the nation’s anemic consumer activity by sliding 7.7% to 400,880 for the eighth consecutive year-to-year decline.