Jan 2, 2011 1 min read

In this photo taken Dec. 22, 2010, office workers head for a train station in Tokyo. For once-confident Japan, 2010 may well mark a symbolic milestone in its slide from economic giant to what experts see as its likely destiny: a second-tier power with some standout companies but limited global influence. As Japanese drink up at year-end parties known as “bonen-kai,” or “forget-the-year gatherings,” this is one many will be happy to forget.

Associated Press