Dependence on US market hurts Asian economies

Asia's largest economy, Japan, has been no big help to its neighbors but the one bright spot is China, although planners have predicted that growth will slow to 7.4 percent this year, from 8 percent last year. Japan sank into its third recession in a decade in the three months to September and the jobless rate hit a new record high of 5.4 percent in October as companies slashed payrolls in a bid to survive the slowdown.