This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Without underestimating the magnitude of the tragedy and human suffering following the earthquake in Japan, we recommend investors buy into Japan amid the current market weakness," says Yiannis Mostrous.

The Asian stock expert and editor of Global Investment Strategist explains, "The tragic earthquake in Japan has roiled markets, but the country's long-term strength remains intact. This is a good time to establish long-term positions in some of Japan's best companies, such as Mitsubishi Corp. (MSBHY).

An invasion of U.S. oil fields by Asian buyers is happening. Recently, companies from Korea, China and India have bought land in the oil-rich states of Texas, Colorado and Wyoming, according to Reuters.

In one of the biggest land deals, Korea National Oil (KNOC) bought one-third of Anadarko Petroleum's (APC) land holdings in South Texas for $1.55 billion. The purchase of 80,000 acres is located in the Eagle Ford Shale section, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil, natural gas and liquids, according to Reuters. KNOC also will receive 16,000 acres in the Pearsall Shale in South Texas.

The Financial Times has seen a U.S. diplomatic cable from WikiLeaks that states that Iran has bought significant amounts of gold. The word is that Tehran holds 300 tons of gold, up from 169 tons in 1996.

Gold, oil and the U.S. dollar: The oil-rich Middle East sells oil throughout the world. Oil is priced in dollars. The U.S. dollar is the reserve currency for oil. That means that Mideast countries are loaded with U.S. dollars.

• WTI crude was up $3.67 per barrel to $101.67. Brent crude rose $2.10 per barrel to $110.62.
• In the grain market, June wheat futures rose 48-2 cents per bushel to $7.10 per bushel.
• Corn futures were up the 30 cent limit to $6.46 per bushel.

"The last time I focused on commodities was back in 2009 when the recovery was piecing itself together. Now, most of the pieces of the recovery are in place, with the notable misfits being job creation and home values," notes Jim Lowell, a leading specialist on Fidelity funds.

The editor of Fidelity Investor explains, "Today, commodities are in increasingly short supply as increasing global consumer demand, geopolitical disruptions, and even Mother Nature have taken their toll on the supply of goods and services.

Except for the safe haven of U.S. treasuries and the U.S. dollar, most other commodities are getting slaughtered in the wake of the Japanese crisis.

Here are some prices of nearby contracts compared to five days ago:

• WTI crude is trading at $97.68 per barrel, down from $105.
• Wheat is at $6.89 per bushel, down for $7.89.

The turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East has put pressure on the Obama Administration to resume issuing permits for deep water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Noble Energy (NBL) was the first to obtain a permit since the BP (BP) disaster.

Noble is an international oil and gas exploration company that operates in the U.S. and internationally. In the U.S. it has operations on the West Coast, Rocky Mountains, mid continent and the Gulf of Mexico. Its international operations are located in the Middle East, South American and West Africa.

Gas prices are rising and show no signs of coming back down. In fact the predictions are for higher prices to come. At the moment, gasoline averages $3.542 per gallon, according the the AAA motorist group, as reported by CNNMoney.

The highest recorded nationwide price was $4.114 on July 17, 2008. Forecasters are looking for the $4.00 per gallon marker to be hit by this summer.

The Chinese government released trade data that portrays a $7.3 billion deficit. Is that believable or just convenient amid the international pressure to raise the value of their currency? We can hardly believe what comes out of Washington, so data coming out of China has to be quite suspect.

I'm sure they retained qualified independent auditors to ascertain the validity of the figures -- yeah right ...

The Department of Energy has had to up its forecast its forecast for oil prices for 2011 and 2012 from last month. The updated forecast takes into account the loss of one million barrels per day from the Libyan conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Last month, the DOE's Energy Information Administration's (EIA) estimate for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was $91 per barrel for 2011. Now, EIA forecasts WTI crude to average $102 per barrel in 2011 and $104 per barrel in 2012. The EIA qualified its forecast with this statement: "There is significant uncertainty surrounding this forecast."