Japan’s Nikkei Index was actually looking pretty good in the summer of 2008, with modest gains due to developing country’s demand for Japanese stocks. Then came what is called in Japan as the “Lehman Shock” in September, which sent stock prices on an unending downward spiral. Compared to March of 2008, the Nikkei has fallen 35%, in 2000 after the tech bubble it had fallen 36.5%