Martin Hutchinson writes: Anyone who has ever visited Japan knows it to be a country where everything works beautifully - and with great efficiency. Right now, however, it's clear that something has gone horribly wrong there.

Japan's exports for February were down a shocking 49.4% on a year-over-year basis. The Japanese economy suffered a fourth-quarter decline of 3.2% - twice the decline of its U.S. counterpart - and is expected to drop by a similar amount during the current quarter.