Japan’s shaken markets survive the test

The earthquake that devastated Japan put its markets under severe strain, with high volumes of orders stressing systems, and staff unsure whether to stay or flee. Those who worked through the crisis tell Euromoney about their experiences. Lawrence White reports.

THE THING THAT Kazutoshi Ohkubo remembers most about the moment the earthquake hit is the sense of confusion. As the tremors began to shake the Mori Tower in Tokyo’s Roppongi district with increasing violence, worker after worker broke off from calls with clients to stand up at their desks, looking around at the television screens and each other for information. It was 2.46pm on Friday, March 11, and as the world now knows a magnitude 9.0

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