JAPAN DATA: Department store sales in Japan fell 0.5% from a year
earlier to Y555.6 billion in November, posting the first y/y drop in two
months after marking its first rise in 32 months in October, mainly
because November this year had only four Sundays, one fewer than a year
before, the Japan Department Stores Association said. On the upside,
lower temperatures continued to support sales of winter clothing and
sales of cosmetics showed the first y/y rise in 24 months, it said.