Category: Japan Data

JAPAN DEC HOUSEHOLD SPENDING SLIPS Y/Y BUT OCT-DEC GAIN POINTS TO Q4 GDP GROWTH

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s household spending in December suffered the first year-on-year drop in three months, albeit modest, as more people turned cautious about eating out and traveling outside their areas, data released Friday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed. But the key indicator of private consumption marked the second […]

JAPAN GOVT SEES CONTINUED ECONOMIC PICKUP AMID MIXED DATA, UPGRADES VIEW ON CHINA

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Friday stuck to its recent assessment that the domestic economy is showing signs of a pickup from the pandemic-caused slump, pointing to a mixed bag of data – more cautious consumer spending against brighter spots in business investment and housing construction, according to its monthly report released by […]

JAPAN DEC CPI DROPS FURTHER ON LOWER ENERGY COSTS; HOTEL FEE DROP EASES AMID PANDEMIC

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese consumer prices posted a slightly sharper drop in December as energy costs continued falling. But a spike in coronavirus cases later in the month appeared to have slowed the use of the government-financed hefty discounts on hotel and transport charges, data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication […]

BOJ KEEPS EASING POLICY STANCE AMID PANDEMIC, SLIGHTLY MORE UPBEAT ON FY21, 22 GROWTH

–Central Bank Still Sees Under 1% Inflation in 2 Years, Well Below 2% Target By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan has maintained its policy stance, as expected, after extending the period of special easing tools last month amid growing downside risks, while continuing to forecast that the domestic economy will recover part […]

JAPAN DEC EXPORTS POST 1ST RISE IN OVER 2 YEARS AMID UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK

By Mas Sato (MaceNews) – Japanese exports recorded the first year-on-year gain in just over two years, as largely expected, thanks to a recent gradual pickup in global demand, but the outlook for one of the key growth drivers for slow domestic recovery remains uncertain amid a surge in new coronavirus cases in many parts […]

JAPAN FACTORY OUTPUT PICKUP PAUSES IN NOV, SHIPMENTS SLIP, AMID PANDEMIC UNCERTAINTY

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s industrial production marked time in November in its gradual recovery from the pandemic-caused slump after five straight monthly gains, with the level of output staying under year-earlier levels amid uncertainty over global growth, preliminary data released Monday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed. While noting factory […]

JAPAN DEC TOKYO CPI POSTS LARGEST Y/Y DROP IN 10 YEARS

–Sliding Energy Prices, Government-Led Travel Discounts Cited By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of the national average, took the deepest dive in a decade in December, hit by falling food and energy prices as well as a controversial five-month-old government program to support the pandemic-hit tourism industry with hefty […]

JAPAN GOVT SEES PANDEMIC-CAUSED SOFT SPOTS IN SPENDING, DOWNGRADES VIEW ON EUROPE

By Max Sato (MaceNews) – Japan’s government Tuesday warned that consumer spending, which accounts for over half of domestic output, is showing soft spots despite its overall improvement from the pandemic-caused slump, according to its monthly report released by the Cabinet Office. While noting increasing export volumes, particularly of automobiles and semiconductor-producing equipment, the government […]