diane eastabrook, "nightly business report," hodgkins, illinois. >> tom: meanwhile in japan, good news for auto makers and suppliers there. the bank of japan says supply bottlenecks are easing faster than expected after the earthquake and tsunami disasters, known in japan as 3/11. the bank expects the economy will start to rebound this fall, but as lucy craft reports from tokyo, many analysts are still bearish about japan's prospects longer-term. >> reporter: while japan is experienced when it comes to bouncing back from natural disasters, the 3/11 catastrophe still weighs heavily on the economy. citizens are fearful about continued emissions from the crippled fukushima nuclear plant. >> ( translated ): we don't really know what's going on. the mass media doesn't know, and i don't think the government does, either. >> reporter: although background radiation has returned to normal levels in tokyo and throughout most of japan, the invisible radiation menace continues to depress consumption and taint the image of japanese products abroad. >> ( translated ): what's holding down spending no