Upmarket nosh keeps Abenomics' pulse beating

Tokyo

FOR the second time in a year, Japan's economy has slipped into recession, but consumers' taste for upmarket noodles and pricier chocolates suggests some pockets of resilience and some hope for Abenomics, the reflationary policies championed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Concerned about faltering growth in China and the global outlook, Japanese companies are reluctant to spend their ample cash in capital investment and wages.

But consumers content to pay a bit more for added-value products …