A new estimate of the economic damage wrought by the Japan disaster put the figure as high as $300 billion, while insurers continued to offer early estimates of their exposure.

　　新近進行的一項預估認為，日本此次災難造成的經濟損失最高將達3,000億美元。各家保險公司目前仍在對它們在這一災難中可能遭受的損失進行初步估算。

　　On Monday, disaster-modeling company Risk Management Solutions Inc. estimated the earthquake and tsunami will lead to economic losses of $200 billion to $300 billion.

　　瑞士再保險公司（Swiss Re）周一說，它預計日本地震和海嘯會使其面臨12億美元的索賠額，但提醒說它的預計是以不確定性高于通常水平為條件的，隨著被保險財產的損失程度日益明確，這個數字可能需要作出調整。

　　Analysts expect about 10% to 20% of the economic cost of the earthquake to be borne by private insurers and reinsurers, most of which have enough capital to withstand the losses. Still, with economic losses potentially exceeding $200 billion, the event would still be one of the costliest disasters in history for the insurance industry.

　　Associated Press2011年3月21日，在日本東北部的陸前高田市，一名年邁的婦女在被3月11日的地震和海嘯摧毀的城鎮中尋找她的物品。周一，災害模型分析公司Risk Management Solutions Inc.預計，日本地震和海嘯將導致2,000億到3,000億美元的經濟損失。

　　Swiss Re said Monday it expects claims costs of $1.2 billion from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but cautioned that its estimate is subject to a higher-than-usual degree of uncertainty and may need to be adjusted as the extent of the insured losses becomes clearer.

　　分析師預計，日本地震所造成經濟損失的約10%到20%將由私營保險公司和再保險公司承擔，它們大部分都有足夠的資金來承擔這些損失。但由于此次災難造成的經濟損失有可能超過2,000億美元，因此它仍將是保險業歷史上造成經濟損失最大的災難之一。

　　The reinsurance company said the incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant is unlikely to result in a significant direct loss for the non-life insurance industry. Earthquake and tsunami damage for nuclear facilities in Japan is largely provided by the government.

　　這家再保險公司說，福島核電站事故不大可能給非壽險行業造成大量直接損失。地震和海嘯對日本核設施的破壞將主要由政府提供損失賠償。

　　American International Group Inc. last Friday estimated its property and casualty business would have to pay $700 million in claims arising from the Japan earthquake and tsunami, excluding $500 million in catastrophe reserves its Japanese operations earlier established for earthquake damage to people's homes.

　　美國國際集團（American International Group Inc.）上周五預計，其財產險和意外險業務將需要為日本地震和海嘯造成的損失賠付7億美元，這其中不包括該公司日本業務早些時候為居民房屋遭受地震破壞而建立的5億美元巨災儲備金。

　　Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurance company by premiums, and Hannover Re both said on Monday that it was too early to provide an estimate. French reinsurer Scor SE has said its pretax losses will likely be less than 185 million ($262.1 million).

　　慕尼黑再保險公司（Munich Re）和漢諾威再保險公司（Hannover Re）周一均表示，現在提供賠償額預估數字還為時尚早。法國再保險公司Scor SE說，其稅前損失預計會少于1.85億歐元（2.621億美元）。慕尼黑再保險公司按保費收入衡量是世界最大的再保險公司。

　　Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which has an agreement to assume a 20% share of Swiss Re's world-wide property and casualty business, is likely to face claims from the Japanese quake.

　　巴菲特（Warren Buffett）的伯克希爾哈撒韋公司（Berkshire Hathaway Inc.）可能會面臨日本地震導致的索賠要求。它與瑞士再保險公司簽有一項協議，需承擔后者全球財產險和意外險業務20%的成本。

　　In addition to the Swiss Re deal, Berkshire's two large reinsurance businesses are likely to have exposures from Japanese disaster coverage they sold. The Omaha, Neb., conglomerate so far hasn't provided estimates of its quake-related claims but is expected to disclose them when it reports first-quarter results.

　　除瑞士再保險公司外，伯克希爾的兩大再保險公司銷售的日本災難保險可能也面臨索賠。這家位于內布拉斯加州奧馬哈的企業集團目前尚未提供對地震相關保險理賠的估計，不過預計將在公布一季度收益時進行披露。

　　Analysts from Barclays Capital said Berkshire is likely to see a $1 billion to $2 billion impact, a loss the cash-rich company can easily absorb.

　　Barclays Capital的分析師們說，伯克希爾的損失很可能達10億至20億美元。這個數額的損失對財力雄厚的伯克希爾來說能夠輕松承受。

　　In recent days, estimates have emerged concerning the impact of the country's travails elsewhere.

　　近幾天來，關于日本災難對其他地方所造成影響的估計陸續浮出水面。

　　The World Bank warned this week that Japan's disaster could cause exports from developing nations in East Asia to slow by as much as 1.5% as manufacturers in those countries suffer from supply-chain disruptions. Korean firms are facing higher prices for memory chips and exporters of cars in Thailand say current supplies of components imported from Japan will last through April, the World Bank said.

　　世界銀行(World Bank)本周提醒說，日本的災難可能造成東亞發展中國家的出口放緩至多1.5%，原因是這些國家的制造商受到供應鏈中斷的影響。世界銀行說，韓國公司將面臨內存芯片價格上漲，而泰國的汽車出口商則說，日本進口部件的現有供應能夠維持到4月底。

　　General Motors Co.'s South Korean unit said Monday that it will reduce production to prepare for a possible shortage of key components, following a similar decision by Renault SA's Korean subsidiary.

　　通用汽車(General Motors Co.)韓國子公司周一說，將減產以應對可能的關鍵部件供應短缺，此前雷諾(Renault SA)韓國子公司做出了類似的決定。

　　In addition, one-fourth of the region's long-term debt is denominated in yen, and appreciation of the yen increases the cost of servicing that debt, the World Bank report said.

　　此外，世界銀行報告說，該地區四分之一的長期債務以日圓計價，日圓的升值會提高這些債務還本付息的成本。

　　On a brighter note for the insurance industry, the events in Japan may mark a turning point for reinsurers, which for several years have suffered from declining prices for the cover they provide.

　　對保險業來說較光明的一點是，日本的災難對再保險公司來說可能是一個轉折點，多年來再保險公司一直面臨所提供保險價格不斷下滑的局面。

　　This event could stabilize reinsurance pricing in the months ahead as reinsurers "capital and capacity has been reduced by a string of catastrophic events during the past six months," said ratings firm Moody's Investors Service in a recent report.

　　 評級公司穆迪投資服務(Moody's Investors Service)最近在一份報告中說，此事可能會使未來幾個月再保險價格穩定，因為過去六個月再保險公司的資金和能力因一系列災難性事件而受到打擊。

　　Moody's anticipates strong reinsurance-market conditions in Japan for renewals at the start of April, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, where renewals occur midyear. The rater also said that share buybacks among global reinsurers, which were heavy during 2010, will grind to a virtual halt as companies preserve capital for the coming Atlantic hurricane season.

　　穆迪預計，4月初日本再保險市場續保的勢頭強勁，澳大利亞和新西蘭的續保則發生在年中。穆迪還說，隨著各公司保存資金準備應對即將到來的大西洋颶風季，2010年盛行的全球再保險公司回購股權之風將實際上逐漸停止。