Japan's household spending fell faster than expected in April as the yen's sharp decline and surging commodity prices pushed up retail costs, hitting consumer confidence and heightening pressures on the battered economy.
Spending improved from the previous month as households showed increasing appetite for services such as eating out, but the month-on-month rise was smaller than expected, suggesting the drag from the pandemic remained.
In a sign of trouble for the economy, real wages shrank at the fastest pace in four months in April as prices posted their biggest jump in more than seven years, weighing on household purchasing power.
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