Japanese should prepare themselves for painful shock

First came the "Sony Shock".

No, not news last week that the consumer-electronics giant is cutting 16,000 jobs - the other shock. For investors, the big one came in April 2003, when shares fell 27 percent in two days.

Sony Corp's woes may pale in comparison with the still developing ones at Toyota Motor Corp. A "Toyota Shock" may be on the way as the dollar trades around 90 yen and questions abound about a US bailout for Detroit automakers.