Special Report: Global Financial Crisis

    TOKYO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's sales of imported vehicles plummeted by 37.7 percent year-on-year to 13,543 units in November as consumer spending was pinched amid the global financial upheavals, said the Japan Automobile Importers Association on Thursday.

    It was the seventh month in a row that the sales, including those of Japanese auto brands built abroad, had suffered downslide, said the trade body.

    Sales of foreign-brand cars tumbled 36.7 percent to 11,844 units while those of Japanese-brand vehicles built overseas were down at a faster pace of 44.1 percent to 1,699 units.

    The worsening employment situation in Japan was believed to be another key factor behind the sales decline as it hurt consumers' sentiment.