Tokyo
CONFIDENCE among Japan's manufacturers climbed to the highest since the global financial crisis a decade ago, a Reuters survey showed, while March trade data showed 12 per cent growth in exports - the biggest gain in over two years.
Japan's economy has shown more signs of life in recent months thanks to pick-ups in exports and factory output.
But stubbornly weak private consumption has put a drag on growth, underscoring the challenge that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces in pulling the world's...