Japan's bank lending rose at the slowest increase in a decade in February as immediate pressure for corporates to borrow cash continued to ease amid a broader economic recovery from the pandemic slump, Reuters reported. While the central bank's massive money printing will likely keep funding conditions ultra-loose, the crisis in Ukraine could hurt restaurants and retailers still reeling from the COVID-19 curbs, some analysts say.

Japan’s factory output fell for a second straight month in January as supply shortages continued to hurt manufacturers, adding to concern that the economy could shrink this quarter as omicron restrictions weigh on activity and the Russian invasion of Ukraine clouds the outlook, Bloomberg News reported. Production slipped 1.3% from the previous month, with falls at automakers and iron and steel manufacturers making the biggest contributions to the drop and driving output below year-earlier levels, according to the industry ministry Monday. Economists had expected a decline of 0.7%.

Mizuho Financial Group Inc. and other lenders are in talks with KKR & Co.-owned parts supplier Marelli Holdings Co. to renegotiate debt and offer financing to keep it operational, Bloomberg News reported. The auto-parts company, created in 2019 when KKR merged its Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli units, is seeking to file as soon as March for an alternative dispute resolution in Japan, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Marelli had at least 1.1 trillion yen ($9.5 billion) in total debt as of September.

The United States and Japan are set to announce a deal to grant Japanese steelmakers relief from Trump-era U.S. tariffs for a limited amount of steel imports, Reuters reported. Anonymous sources said that it will allow about 1.25 million metric tonnes into the United States duty-free, with volumes above that level subject to the 25% "Section 232" national security tariffs.

Japan's biggest lenders on Wednesday all sounded alarm about the risk the Omicron variant could have on their earnings, reviving concerns that a resurgent pandemic could trigger more bad loans, Reuters reported. It was a sobering assessment from Japan's three top banks - some of the world's biggest lenders by assets - and underscored how the latest coronavirus variant could put more downward pressure on an already fragile domestic economy. Top lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.

Japan's factory output shrank for the first time in three months in December as a decline in machinery production outweighed a small rise in autos, casting a cloud over the strength of the economic recovery, Reuters reported. Retail sales posted their third straight month of year-on-year gains in December as low coronavirus cases encouraged shoppers. Record infections this month driven by the Omicron variant, however, are expected to have hit consumer sentiment.

Japan last year had the fewest bankruptcies in a half century, Bloomberg News reported. But economists warn there may be a darker side. Zero-interest loans and subsidies may have also helped prop up firms that were already non-performing before the crisis and probably should have been left to go under. While policy makers everywhere have trouble providing just the right amount of aid during a crisis, Japan has a long history of easy credit that’s been blamed for keeping “zombie” firms alive.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday recent price rises in the country were driven largely by rising energy and global commodity costs, Reuters reported. "It's desirable to create an environment in which companies can pass on rising costs, raise wages, so that increasing consumption spurs economic growth and inflation," Kishida told parliament. Read more.

Japan’s retail sales increased for a third straight month, as easing virus concerns fueled spending by consumers before the emergence of the omicron variant, Bloomberg News reported. Sales advanced 1.2% in November from the previous month, as shoppers spent more on clothing and motor vehicles, the industry ministry reported Monday. Economists had expected a 1.3% overall gain.