SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

A year ago, the Japanese automakers doing business in the U.S. were mired in the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck the island nation in March 2011 and were a long ways out from full recovery.

But this past month, their rebound was the highlight of the U.S. new-vehicle business, according to one particular industry analyst.

“The big auto sales news of the month is the Japanese recovery story,” said Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs.

Toyota Motor Sales , USA – for example – moved 202,973 new vehicles during May for a 72.9-percent year-over-year hike on a daily selling rate basis. Without adjusting for selling days, it was an 87.3-percent uptick.

Take that with a grain of salt, however.

“Toyota, as expected, posted a stunning year-over-year percentage increase; remember where Toyota was a year ago, however, largely without much product to sell because of the earthquake and tsunami. Ford held the No. 2 sales spot over Toyota, a position that looked to be at risk,” Krebs added.

The Toyota brand by itself jumped 74.4 percent on a DSR basis and 88.9 percent unadjusted, as it moved 181,510 vehicles.

“We’re grateful to our customers who have made Toyota the number one retail brand in America for the third consecutive month,” said Bob Carter, the Toyota division group vice president and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales.

“Our growth has been driven by the success of our new products, led by Camry and Prius family, part of the most aggressive product launch in our history. With the much anticipated Scion FR-S on sale today and the continued recovery of the overall automotive market, we’re confident our sales momentum will continue,” he added.

Meanwhile, American Honda Motor Co. moved 133,997 units for a 47.6-percent gain (unadjusted) over the year-ago period. This marked a 36.3-percent uptick on a DSR basis.

One of the highlights for the automaker during May was its Honda Civic model, which notched 33,490 sales in the U.S.

“Honda Civic, which received much media scrutiny when launched, had one of its best sales months in recent history. Civic sales were helped by strong leasing programs, but ultimately its key asset is its brand credibility, which helps when there are people entering the auto market timidly after an extended period of time,” stated Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell.

As for Nissan North America, the automaker 91,794 units in May, up from 76,148 vehicles in May 2011. The Nissan division sold 81,202 units, compared to 69,759 units in May 2011. The Infiniti posted 10,592 sales, compared to 6,389 sales a year ago.

“Nissan sales came in lower than expected, showing the importance of the Altima. Nissan is selling down the old version to make way for the new model, which hits showrooms this month,” Krebs stated.

Lastly, Subaru broke a May sales record as it moved 29,724 units, versus 20,036 in May 2011. Perhaps its biggest highlight was the Impreza, which had 6,786 sales in May, versus 2,021 in May 2011.

“Strong demand and a great product lineup are driving record sales for Subaru," said Thomas Doll, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Subaru of America. "Demand for the newly-introduced Impreza has far exceeded expectations. With new product launches just around the corner, we know the upward sales trend will continue throughout the year."