Japan factory output, consumer spending weak in April

TOKYO (AP) — Japan reports that its factory output fell 3.5 percent in April from the same month a year earlier, while consumer spending also edged lower.
While the declines reported Tuesday were more moderate than the month before, suggesting a slight improvement, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may point to such trends as reasons for the widely expected postponement of a sales tax hike next year.
Consumer spending fell 0.4 percent in April from a year earlier, while unemployment remained flat