"The numbers turned out quite weak, " said Takeshi Minami from the Norinchukin Research Institute in Tokyo.

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But according to the latest reports, in the Miyagi Prefecture town of Minami-Sanriku alone, some 10, 000 people are missing.

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Shuji Minami -- the product business group's general manager -- is suggesting that increased production by alternative manufacturers will open up the currently tight supply line.

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"The stagnation of other developed countries is likely to push back the timing of Japan beating deflation from the mid-2010s as originally thought to the late 2010s, " said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

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Takoyaki (dumplings filled with octopus) is a delicacy that originated in Osaka, and you will find little takeaway shopfronts throughout the city, with the best in the Dotombori district in minami (the south of the city).

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Honors were handed out by Brian Williams, anchor of the NBC broadcast network's Nightly News. (Minami, who has Korean heritage, wowed the crowd with traditional ethnic finery.) Against the best competition in the U.S., FORBES has won or been runner-up in this OPC category in four of the last six years.

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