TOKYO, Mar. 23, 2009 (Kyodo News International) -- ----------
Feb. supermarket sales sink below 1 tril. yen for 1st time in 18 yrs
TOKYO - Japan's supermarket sales in February totaled 952.63 billion yen, falling below 1 trillion yen for the first time since February 1991, an industry body said Monday.
The total figure includes those at newly opened stores. On a same-store basis, sales dropped 5.4 percent from a year earlier, the third straight month of fall, due mainly to sluggish sales of clothing and household items amid slumping consumer spending, the Japan Chain Stores Association said.
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Japan's Feb. convenience store sales rise 2%, up for 10th month
TOKYO - Japan's convenience stores sales in February rose 2.0 percent from a year earlier to 536.25 billion yen on a same-store basis, up for the 10th consecutive month, the Japan Franchise Association said Monday.
Sales were again boosted by people buying cigarettes at convenience stores, which has helped to lift sales over the past several months, the association said.
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Average land prices fall across Japan for 1st time in 3 yrs
TOKYO - Average land prices in Japan fell in both commercial and residential areas as of Jan. 1 for the first time in three years amid the deepening recession, with 97 percent of around 24,000 locations showing price declines, the government said Monday.
The nationwide average of commercial land prices posted a year-on-year drop of 4.7 percent, while residential land prices fell an average 3.2 percent, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said.
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Viewer rating for Japan-S. Korea WBC game around 40%
TOKYO - The average audience share for Friday's televised World Baseball Classic game hit 40.1 percent in the Kanto region and 38.1 percent in the Kansai region, Video Research Ltd. said Monday.
Japan defeated South Korea in the game to finish first in the second round of the tournament.
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Japan's paper shipments post steepest fall in Feb.
TOKYO - Shipments of paper and paperboard in Japan in February fell 20.5 percent from a year earlier to 1,938,000 tons, marking the steepest fall under the current statistics system introduced in 1988, an industry group said Monday.
The decline was attributable to falling demand amid the economic downturn, according to the Japan Paper Association.
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Consultants now charged with 1 bil. yen tax evasion over Kajima funds
TOKYO - Two consultants have been charged with evading some 1 billion yen in taxes on income that included slush funds funneled by Kajima Corp.
