Japanese companies raised spending on plant and equipment in April-June by 7.6 per cent from the same period a year earlier, Ministry of Finance data showed on Monday, signalling that solid domestic demand was underpinning the country's fragile economic recovery. The expenditure data could support the case for the central bank to raise interest rates again later this year. However, economists warn that the impact of U.S. tariffs is likely to become more pronounced from the third quarter onward, casting a shadow over business investment - a key engine of domestic demand-driven growth. Capital spending in the second ... (full story)