Japan’s merchants’ mood hits worst in three years on tariff woes

MERCHANTS IN JAPAN WORRY ABOUT THE ECONOMY AS OPTIMISM DROPS TO A FIVE-YEAR LOW, WITH PESSIMISTS OUTNUMBERING HOPEFULS DUE TO U.S.-Imposed TARIFFS. The survey found a sharp decline to 42.6, below the critical 50 mark signaling more negative outlooks than positive ones. This reflects a long-standing trend since February 2022, when businesses faced lingering pandemic-related challenges.