Japan economic report drops mention of coronavirus for first time in two years
- Cabinet Office report read the ‘economy shows movements of picking up’, but dropped the words ‘as the severe situation due to the novel coronavirus is easing’
- Change in the expression reflects a shift in Japanese society where social and economic activities have kept going even amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases
The Japanese government said in a monthly report on Wednesday that the economy is recovering from the pandemic, with the word “coronavirus” not included in its assessment for the first time in more than two years.
“The Japanese economy shows movements of picking up,” the Cabinet Office report said in its basic assessment, dropping the words “as the severe situation due to the novel coronavirus is easing” that followed the line in last month’s report.
The report, however, points to remaining downside risks to the economy as surging virus cases in China have led to lockdowns in large areas, including Shanghai, causing supply-chain disruptions.
By components of the economy, the report said private consumption in May “has shown movements of picking up,” using the same expression from the previous month.
According to the nation’s gross domestic product data for the January to March period, personal spending remained flat, even under a quasi-state of emergency brought on by the Omicron variant surge, after increasing 2.5 per cent in the previous quarter.