MATT JOHNSON is chief executive of Mando Group

TOKYO is the world’s third-largest stock market. It’s also barely 230km from the site of the Japanese nuclear power station devastated by the combined impact of earthquake and tsunami.

The dreadful toll taken by those combined forces continues to rise as the country sets about another rebuilding process.Š

The fact that the disaster struck in one of the world’s most advanced economies means the impact has spread far and wide. Had it not been, the rest of the world might have forgotten about it now.

As it is, some of the biggest names in global manufacturing have been affected and so, therefore, are many other countries and the businesses in them. An example is Honda.

The industrial giant has been forced to cut production at its UK plant in Swindon because of a shortage of components.

Honda’s suppliers serve other manufacturers in other parts of the world, too.

Nikon is another seriously affected brand.

All businesses need to plan for disaster recovery. Thankfully, disasters on the scale of that which befell Japan do not occur often.

Yet, even in the wake of the awful human and material losses suffered across the country, there are positive signs for business reflected in the performance of some sectors traded on the Nikkei index.

The immediate collapse of the market after the triple disasters was followed by an optimistic bounce.

There are sound reasons for this, many of them to do with the economic benefits of reconstruction.

Leading the optimists are the firms that look likely to do the heavy lifting: Sumitomo Osaka Cement and Taiheiyo Cement rose 17% during March.

Equipment makers Komatsu, Mitsubishi and Kawasaki gained 10 to 12%.Š Similar gains were seen in Oki Electric Cable, Showa Holdings and Totaku Electric. All these firms stand to benefit from the rebuilding of the electricity infrastructure.

The closure of 11 of Japan’s 54 nuclear power stations and the part closure of several refineries has resulted in a reduction in energy supply of over 10%.

This power shortage is hampering the reconstruction process, as factories grind along at severely reduced capacity. It shows the extent to which we all rely on energy.