TOKYO -- Two weeks before the Chinese New Year, Japan's tourism and retail industries are excited about another round of bakugai (explosive buying) by Chinese visitors.
But for policymakers in Beijing, Chinese consumers' insatiable appetite for overseas goods is a headache. All that buying represents an outflow of money. This is a serious problem for the government, which hopes domestic consumers will prop up the faltering economy. It has launched a campaign to encourage people to spend more money back home, but it is an uphill battle.
