Japanese exports to the US have fallen dramatically over the past four years, which could spell trouble for the Japanese economy. 

Compared to March 2007, exports to the US have dropped by 11 percent, with a meager increase of 2.3 percent over the last three years.  Japan's exports to Europe and other parts of Asia have slowed as well, according to the Ministry of Finance.

"An export slowdown would squeeze corporate revenues and keep companies from raising much profit," Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute, told Financial Times.

As GamesIndustry.biz states, all of this is pretty bad news for Japan's export driven economy.  There's also the fact that despite all their apparent success, Nintendo's stock is at an all time low and has been struggling for a year now, as though mirroring the rest of Japan's economy.

One wonders if Sony, a heavyweight contender in the global video game industry and one of Japan's biggest corporations, is also struggling to overcome.

Will Japan be catering toward more stable markets in Europe, or the rising demands in China?  By this time next year, where will our economy stand?