We reported back in January that the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show was looking like it might not happen, and today’s news that BMW and Mercedes-Benz are likely to skip the whole thing might be the event’s death knell.

General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Volkswagen and Volvo already count among the manufacturers not attending this year’s show and with BMW and Mercedes-Benz out of the picture, the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show is fast becoming a domestics-only event – if it happens at all.

The bigger Japanese carmakers - Toyota, Nissan and Honda – have yet to decline the invitation, but at this point it’s anyone’s guess how long that will last.

Inside sources for the event have indicated that if any of those three pull out of the event, cancellation of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show is a certainty.