TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's jobless rate went
up by 0.3 percentage points to hit a record 5.7 percent in July on a seasonally
adjusted basis, according to official statistics released Friday.
The number of the unemployed expanded for nine months
in a row, up by 1.03 million to 3.59 million from a year earlier, said the
ministry of internal affairs and communications said in a preliminary report.
The jobless rate for men rose 0.4 percentage point to
6.1 percent on a month-on-month basis, compared with a 0.1 point rise to 5.1
percent for women.
Observers said that the ever-increasing jobless rate
is likely to deal a further blow to Prime Minister Taro Aso's already embattled
government ahead of Sunday's general election.
Also on Friday, data released by the labor ministry
showed that the ratio of job offers to job seekers stood at 42 to 100 job in
July, down from 43 to 100 in June.
Separate statistics released by the health, labor and
welfare ministry indicated that the number of job offers fell 0.5 percent from
June while that of job seekers rose 1.8 percent.
Japan's key CPI falls 2.2%
in July
TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer price
index (CPI) fell for the fifth consecutive month in July, down by a record 2.2
percent year-on-year, as energy costs went further down, said the Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications Friday.
The key CPI, which excludes prices for fresh food but
includes those for fuel, read 100.1, compared with the gauge of 100 for the base
year of 2005, the ministry said in a preliminary report. Full story
U.S. economy shrinks 1% in
Q2
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The American economy
shrank at an annual rate of 1 percent in the second quarter, a
better-than-expected showing, the U.S. Commerce Department reported
Thursday.
The department's new estimate for the second-quarter gross
domestic product (GDP) was unchanged from the initial figure it released last
month.Full story
Japan's trade surplus
expands for 2 straight months
TOKYO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's trade surplus expanded
for the second straight month, soaring by 364.2 percent year-on-year to 380.23
billion yen (4.09 billion U.S. dollars) in July, the finance ministry said in a
preliminary report Wednesday.
A tumble in imports, rather than a pickup in exports, was
the key factor behind the surge in trade surplus, which had been recorded for
the sixth consecutive month in July, according to the ministry.Full story
Dollar falls upon reduced
safety haven demand
NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The dollar fell against
major currencies on Thursday as a better-than-expected economic report reduced
safety haven demand for the U.S. currency.
There's growing evidence that the link between the dollar
and risk sentiment is fading. For the time being, though, risk sentiment is
still a key driver for currencies as uncertainty remains over how the recovery
is going to unfold, analysts said.Full story
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