Japan's Nov household spending slides for 9th straight month

Tokyo

JAPAN'S consumer spending is set to end 2016 on a downbeat note, according to latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications which showed household spending falling for a ninth consecutive month in November, reflecting a preference to save rather than spend.

At the same time, Japan's core consumer prices fell for a ninth consecutive month in November amid lower energy prices. They fell by 0.4 per cent from levels a year earlier, the government said Tuesday, implying that the Bank of Japan is still far from achieving its 2 per cent inflation goal.