Japan's Inflation Surges

A double whammy of rising inflation and unemployment has experts worried that Japan’s economy—the world’s second largest—is fast losing steam, reports the Wall Street Journal. Inflation in February rose 1%, its fastest spike in a decade, and household spending stalled in the face of rising food and oil prices.

"With economic growth pausing and workers' wages not increasing, I cannot say that recent rises in consumer prices are good," said the economy minister. "I'm concerned about how such price rises will affect consumers." Japan’s unemployment rate edged up 0.1% to 3.9%, after staying flat for three months; officials said slowing economic growth was to blame. (More Japan stories.)