FOCUS: Japan economy to expand in 2022, but pandemic, chip crunch to weigh

The Japanese economy is expected to accelerate its expansion in fiscal 2022 following a sharp turnaround toward the end of 2021 as private consumption continues to recover thanks to subdued coronavirus infections.Analysts predict the world's third-largest economy will see an annual real 2 to 4 percent growth in fiscal 2022 starting April, even though concerns remain about a COVID-19 resurgence and the lingering global semiconductor shortage.After the economy shrank a record 4.5 percent in fiscal 2020 with the coronavirus outbreak, it began to pick up in the fall of 2021 as vaccinations prog…READ FULL ARTICLE