JAPAN

Decline in Consumer Prices Reported: Retail prices were down 0.1% for the year in the first drop since the government began calculating the index 25 years ago, the prime minister’s office said. That compares with the 0.7% increase of 1994. The decrease was even bigger--0.4%--for the Tokyo area. Among the causes cited was a weak dollar--it bottomed out last April at a record low 79.75 yen--making imports cheaper. Falling prices may be good news for shoppers, but they are also a sign of a weakening economy. Japan is in a fifth year of recession.