Japan’s household spending unexpectedly rose for a second straight month in November, as consumer sentiment showed further signs of recovery from the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. A one-month state of emergency for the Tokyo area approved by the government on Thursday is likely to hurt the recovery in domestic demand, with some analysts expecting the economy to fall into contraction in the first quarter of this year. Household spending rose 1.1% in November compared to the same month a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, beating a median forecast for a 1.5% decline. That marked the second ... (full story)