2011 was already proving a difficult year for Japan, even before the recent disaster. The nation was hit hard by the financial crisis and in recent years has been struggling to cope with both an ageing population and a disaffected youth. With people struggling to find full time employment even before the quake and cases of depression and suicide on the increase, there are fears that in the aftermath of the recent disaster the situation will become unmanageable. This report paints a bleak picture of a society "in a downward spiral" and yet as the nation appears "calm and un-phased" it asks whether from the ashes of the recent tragedy a renewed determination to rebuild their country can grow.