The sudden computer system malfunction that paralyzed trading Tuesday morning on the Tokyo Stock Exchange left brokerages and individual investors fuming over the vulnerability of one of the key mechanisms of the economy.
The ticker on the second floor of the bourse, which usually shows stock prices, only showed blanks, and about 10 TSE staffers who usually monitor transactions for irregularities stood idly by their computers.
According to TSE officials, the bourse was flooded with dozens of calls from investors and securities firms from a little before 9 a.m., the usual start of morning trading.