FOCUS: Japan unlikely to see sustained recovery while pandemic persists

Despite a sharp rebound in Japan's growth in the July-September period, spurred by a pick-up in personal spending and exports, public concerns about the continuing spread of the novel coronavirus make it unlikely that there will be a sustained recovery in consumption anytime soon.A Cabinet Office report released Monday showed private consumption expanded 4.7 percent in the third quarter, but it fell short of recouping an 8.1 percent loss logged in the preceding quarter.Private-sector economists say they do not expect personal spending to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels for the time being…READ FULL ARTICLE