Japan's Auto Makers Come Together in Support of Relief Efforts

On Friday, Japan was hit by the most powerful earthquake in its history and the fifth strongest one in the world in the last century. The quake itself, as it hit a country well prepared for such disasters, made little damage compared to the mayhem caused by the Tsunami that followed.

Several days later, the nation is slowly beginning to awaken from the nightmare to find a north eastern coast line in ruins. Faced with the threat of nuclear leaks from several power plants damaged by the combination of disaster, Japan has little time to morn the financial losses it faces in one of its most productive industries: the auto industry.

Yet, having been there for foreign nations in similar positions, the country's major auto makers came together and announced significant financial and logistic support for the relief efforts currently under way. Toyota, Nissan and Honda, just to name three of the biggest, announced donations of $3.75 million each.

Along with the money, tons and tons of vehicles - trucks and forklifts -, medical supplies and power generators will be sent to the affected regions by the car makers.

The quake which struck on Friday, powerful enough to shorten the day by 1.6 microseconds and move the entire planet by some 25 cm (10 inches), left a huge number of people dead (official body count now expected to surpass 10,000) and several cities in ruin.

For the auto industry, the effects are yet to be determined. All three auto makers mentioned above have closed down their plants, while tens of suppliers are still unaccounted for.