Record 70 Pct in Japan See Prices in Bad Direction

   Tokyo, March 17 (Jiji Press)--About 70 pct of Japanese people think that prices in the country are headed in a bad direction, a Cabinet Office survey showed Friday.
   Asked in which fields Japan is going in the wrong direction, prices were cited by 70.5 pct of respondents, the highest figure since the survey started in 1988. In the previous survey in December 2021, only 37.9 pct saw prices going bad.
   Besides, bleak outlook was shown by 61.3 pct for state finances, 60.8 pct for the economy, 46.7 pct for the economic power and 37.0 pct for resources and energy. All of these figures rose from the previous survey.
   Soaring energy and food prices associated with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which started in February last year, are believed to have affected the results, an official at the government agency said.
   The nationwide survey was conducted by mail from Dec. 1 last year to Jan. 8 this year with multiple answers allowed, covering 3,000 people aged 18 or older. Of the total, 58.7 pct gave valid responses.

(2023/03/17-19:56)

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