Japan plants shut down after quake, fuelling economic fears

Tokyo

SOME of Japan's biggest firms including Sony and Toyota shut down operations in southern Japan on Friday after the region's deadly earthquake, but analysts said while the economy could be affected the impact would be far less than previous disasters.

At least nine people were killed in Thursday night's 6.5-magnitude quake, which also toppled houses and buckled roads on the southwestern island of Kyushu.