Japan department store sales drop 66% in May, pace of fall moderates

Japan's department sales in May dropped 65.6 percent from a year earlier as the novel coronavirus pandemic continued to take a toll, but the pace of decline moderated following the previous month's record plunge, an industry body said Tuesday.The latest data from the Japan Chain Stores Association reflected the government's lifting of a nationwide state of emergency in stages during May and compared with April's record drop of 72.8 percent.While the outcome in May represented the second biggest percentage fall since comparable data became available in 1965, the association said recent sales…READ FULL ARTICLE