Japanese real average household spending in August is expected to have declined 2.9% from a year earlier, posting a sixth straight year-on-year drop, according to the median forecast of analysts surveyed by Market News International. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will release the August data at 0830 JST on Friday, Sept. 30 (2330 GMT Thursday). The pace of spending decrease is expected to have accelerated from -2.1% y/y in July, as demand for replacing outmoded TVs fell in August, economists said. Consumers had rushed to buy digital TVs before July 24, when Japan terminated analogue broadcasting ... (full story)