Japan's May retail sales fall sharply as lockdown measures hit demand

Shoppers wearing protective masks choose clothes at Japan's supermarket group Aeon's shopping mall as the mall reopens amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Chiba, Japan May 28, 2020 - Reuters

TOKYO: Retail sales in Japan tumbled at a double-digit pace for the second straight month in May as the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures delivered a heavy blow to consumer confidence.

The sustained downturn in demand raises risks that the world's third-largest economy could remain mired in recession longer than expected and a recovery may be more sluggish.