Retail sales rise at fastest pace in five months

Retail sales jumped 5.2% in March from a year earlier, government data showed yesterday, a larger gain than the median market forecast for a 4.7% rise.

TOKYO: Japanese retail sales rose at the fastest pace in five months in March as consumer demand recovered from the huge hit it took from the coronavirus pandemic last year.

The world’s third-largest economy has emerged from last year’s slump on an export recovery, though a glacial vaccine rollout and a resurgence in infections are threatening household demand.