Restaurant Sales In Japan Up For 6th Straight Month
Sales at Japan's major restaurant chains rose in May for the sixth straight month. There were no restrictions on social gatherings during the long holidays in early May for the first time since 2019, before the pandemic.
The Japan Foodservice Association says sales last month increased 20.4 percent from a year earlier.
Sales at izakaya and other eating and drinking establishments recovered significantly due to a rebound from a year before, when a state of emergency was in place in mainly urban areas.
But overall sales were still below the pre-pandemic level at 4.6 percent down compared to three years ago.