TOKYO -- Japan's retail sales in February rose 1.7% from the previous year to 11.2 trillion yen, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday. Drugstore sales surged 18.9%, as consumers scrambled to buy face masks, toilet paper and other health and hygiene products in response to the new coronavirus outbreak.
The February figures are the first year-on-year increase in retail sales in Japan since September last year, when there was a last-minute rise in demand before the consumption tax increase.
