Japan’s November Retail Sales Rise 2.6% from a Year Earlier, Slowing for Second Straight Month as Tourism and Inflation Weigh

Data from Japan Ministry of Economy Trade & Industry (METI) shows Japanese retail sales rose 2.6% in November 2022 from a year earlier, which is a rose for a ninth straight month, as the lifting of COVID-19 border controls and the government’s domestic travel subsidy helped consumer demand.
Data showed last week that visitor arrivals to Japan jumped to nearly 1 million in November, the first full month after the country scrapped COVID-19 curbs that effectively halted tourism for more than two years.

A government domestic travel subsidy campaign to help the pandemic-hit tour …