TOYOTA CITY, Japan -

Toyota began its 2012 fiscal year on April 1 still under the cloud of destruction that had ravaged the Japan less than three weeks before. The disasters were as violent as they were fatal, widespread and chaotic.

The automaker — and many of its Japanese peers — have started to bounce back somewhat from the disasters that hit the island nation in March. Despite the progress, Toyota’s financial expectations for the current fiscal year still appear to be under some pressure.

In fact, consolidated net revenues, operating income and net income are all expected to drop from the prior-year period, Toyota indicated in its latest financial forecast released Friday.

The company projects that it will pull in 280 billion yen of consolidated net income during fiscal 2012. This compares to 408.1 billion yen for fiscal 2011, which ended March 31.

Consolidated net revenue is projected at 18.6 trillion yen, down from 18.99 trillion yen in the prior fiscal year. Consolidated operating income is projected at 300 billion yen, down from 468.2 billion yen a year ago.

For the first half of fiscal 2012, Toyota anticipates 7.5 trillion yen in consolidated net revenue, compared to 9.68 trillion yen in the first half of the previous fiscal year.

The automaker is expecting a 120 billion yen consolidated operating loss for the first six months, versus the 323.1 billion yen operating income in the same period a year ago.

First-half consolidated net income is forecasted at 10 billion yen, down from 289.1 billion yen in the first six months of fiscal 2011

Toyota projects it will move 724,000 units in fiscal 2012, with 292,000 units being sold in the first half of the year.

In assessing the business environment, dealing with the earthquake’s aftermath wasn’t the only thing on the horizon for Toyota.

“As for our future business environment, although the emerging economies are expected to continue expanding, particularly in China and India, and the developed economies such as the United States and Europe are expected to continue recovering at a modest pace, we must closely watch the various risks, such as the risks of rising oil prices and the continuing high unemployment rate in the United States and Europe,” Toyota said in a statement.

“The Japanese economy is expected to pick up gradually, as well, backed by recovering economies overseas and the various effects of government policies,” the automaker added.

“However, the damage by the Great East Japan Earthquake was widespread and serious and will continue to significantly affect the Japanese economy, and the momentum of Japan’s economic recovery will weaken for the time being,” officials pointed out.

When Toyota unveiled its fiscal 2011 financial report last month, the uncertainty stemming from the fallout of the Japanese disasters prevented the automaker from making forecasts for fiscal-year 2012.

With the picture apparently a bit clearer, Toyota was able to offer its projections Friday.