Japan data show unemployment eases but prices fall

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch)
Japanese November economic data out Friday showed a mild easing for unemployment but also lingering deflation and weaker household spending than expected
The unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from October's 4.2%, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported, beating expectations for no change from a Dow Jones Newswires survey
However, the core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh-food prices, dropped 0.3% last month for a 0.1% decline from the year earlier, in line with expectations
Deflation is a key concern for Japan's new government, with newly returned Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling for greater action to push prices back up
Meanwhile, spending by households of two or more people rose a price-adjusted 0.2% from a year earlier, lagging forecasts for a 0.8% gain, according to the Dow Jones Newswires survey