Underlying inflation rose in September at the fastest annual pace in three years, according to Bank of Japan data, exceeding its 2% target.
Kana Sekiya, 43, used to shop near a train station in Tokyo on her way back home from work. Now she drives more than 30 minutes on weekends to a discount supermarket to buy groceries in bulk — one of a growing number of consumers shifting their shopping habits as prices rise. Sekiya’s changing shopping habits are not just a concern for Japan’s once unassailable convenience stores, or konbini, but also a worrying sign for the economy, which has exited decades of deflation.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
Related stories
Starmer says UK must get closer to Europe as US relationship changes
EXCLUSIVE: State Department accuses politicians of endangering Afrikaner lives after gruesome farm attacks
On the Norway-Russia border, the Sámi people face a growing divide
West Indies thrash Bangladesh by eight wickets in first Test in Mirpur
Watch: Blood donors get a Halloween fright in Thailand
Studios destroyed, traditions saved: Artists fight to save Sudan’s culture