' This article discusses the issue I have raised more than once over the past few days (and again below) with respect to the possibility of Japan, the third largest holder of U.S. Treasuries after the U.S. Fed and China, having to sell some of the U.S. Treasuries it holds to fund rehabilitation projects.

The article does not discuss the effect on the U.S. Treasury market if Japan ceases to participate in that market. I think it follows that the U.S. Treasury market will be something to watch closely over the next few months.

A second article titled ' - reading time 4 minutes - also addresses this issue. I suggest you take the time to read and think about what this article says;

· ' This article highlights in a chart the expected changes of the working age populations of China, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. from 2010-2020 and from 2020-2030 where working age is defined as 25-54. At first blush I dismissed the title of the article, but after reading it and reviewing the chart I think it provides some good 'food for thought'; and,

· ' This article from the U.S. Energy Information Administration sets out in a chart with accompanying narrative the percentages of electricity generated in Japan by source, coal (28%), nuclear (27%), and natural gas (27%) being the three largest.