   The data showed exports had risen 14.8% in the first 10 days
of March before the quake struck, but fell 9.7% for the rest of
the month.  "The effect of the earthquake can clearly be seen,"
a finance ministry official told a news conference, adding that
production had stalled. "In particular, auto exports fell
significantly, and as a result, overall exports decreased
greatly."  Car exports declined 27.8% in March, the largest drop
since October 2009, when it fell 37.2% due to lingering weak
global demand brought on by the financial crisis of 2008,
another official said.  The magnitude-9 quake and tsunami, which
devastated northern Japan, damaged production facilities in the
region and led to nationwide supply-chain problems. The March 11
disaster also triggered a crisis at a nuclear-power plant,
causing power-supply shortages.  Economists said exports would
be affected for some time by the prospect of continued stalled
production, and some even forecast a trade deficit in the coming
months, which would furt