Tourism Recovery Helps Japan Grow in First Quarter

TOKYO—Japan’s economy showed a bigger-than-expected upswing in the first quarter, helped by a recovery in tourism that offset sluggishness in some leading economies.

Japan has just begun to benefit from post pandemic pent-up demand of the kind the U.S. experienced more than a year ago. Tokyo waited until last October to remove border controls for overseas tourists and lifted restrictions on big events earlier this year.

The world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China expanded 0.4% in the three months to March from the previous quarter, government data showed Wednesday, slightly above forecasts.

The Japanese economy grew at an annualised rate of 1.6%, outpacing 1.1% growth for the same quarter in the U.S., where high inflation and rising interest rates hit consumers. In China, another top market for Japanese-made goods, recent economic indicators such as the youth unemployment rate and retail sales have pointed to a sluggish recovery.

Economists say the main growth driver in Japan remains domestic demand. Spending is likely to pick up further after recent wage negotiations resulted in the biggest pay increase in three decades. The pace of inflation has slowed recently thanks to the government’s measures to ease the impact of higher energy prices and declines in import prices.

Overall consumer prices in Japan rose 3.2% from a year earlier in March, compared with 4.9% inflation in the U.S. in April.

In the January-March period, private consumption in Japan increased 0.6% from the previous quarter. Government travel subsidies boosted spending on hotels and restaurants.

Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto said the economy would likely continue a modest recovery, supported by higher wages and corporate investment.

“We will realise sustainable economic growth led by private demand,” he said.

In another positive sign, the number of foreign tourists is quickly approaching the pre pandemic level, and those tourists are spending more than they did before the pandemic.

Spending per international visitor in the January-March quarter was ¥212,000, equivalent to $1,553. That was 44% more than the average visitor spent in the same period in 2019, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

While domestic spending is likely to stay healthy this summer, the risk of slower growth in the U.S., China and elsewhere looms over the Japanese economy.

“Goods exports and production will struggle so long as the global economy flirts with recession,” said Stefan Angrick, an economist at Moody’s Analytics.

Japan’s exports dropped 4.2% in the first quarter from the one before it due to slowing growth abroad triggered by monetary tightening in the U.S. and other countries as well as weaker chip demand.

Australian furniture brand King Living has expanded its Aura Collection with the launch of a new modular sofa designed to blend contemporary aesthetics with adaptable living.

The Aura Sofa builds on the success of the Aura Island range, first introduced in 2023, which included indoor and outdoor sofas as well as fixed and swivel occasional chairs.

The latest evolution introduces modular functionality to the collection, allowing homeowners to configure the sofa to suit a variety of spaces and uses.

As living spaces continue to evolve, particularly in urban environments where flexibility is increasingly valued, furniture designers are placing greater emphasis on products that can adapt over time.

King Living says the new Aura Sofa has been developed with this trend in mind, enabling customers to create corner, L-shaped or U-shaped layouts, while also allowing additional modules to be added as needs change.

King Living founder David King said the original Aura concept began as an exploration of sculptural design before being reimagined as a modular system.

“Aura began as an exploration of sculptural form. Now, we’ve brought modularity into that design language, giving the freedom to reimagine your space with a modular design made for flexibility,” he said.

The collection’s defining feature remains its soft, flowing silhouette, with curved forms replacing traditional angular sofa designs.

The company describes the sofa as a response to changing lifestyles, where living rooms increasingly serve multiple purposes, from entertaining guests and family gatherings to quiet reading corners and work-from-home spaces.

Its rounded profile and minimalist aesthetic are intended to enhance the flow of contemporary interiors while maximising available space. According to the company, the design is equally suited to compact apartments and larger open-plan homes.

“Today, living space is both a luxury and a constraint. Aura is our response, a purposeful design that proves when intention and fluidity converge, the result can feel both expansive and refined,” King said.

Beyond aesthetics, the new sofa incorporates several engineering features synonymous with the King Living brand.

These include the company’s Postureflex steel suspension system, extra-high pocket springs and its signature steel frame, which is backed by a 25-year warranty. The company says the design has been engineered to deliver long-term comfort and durability.

Sustainability has also been a focus of the design. Each module features a removable cover that can be professionally cleaned, repaired or replaced individually, reducing the need to replace an entire sofa and potentially extending the product’s lifespan.

The Aura Sofa is available made to order in a range of premium fabrics and European leathers, allowing customers to tailor the piece to different interior styles and colour palettes.

Designed, manufactured and sold exclusively by King Living, the Aura Sofa launched in showrooms and online early this month, marking the latest addition to the Australian company’s growing portfolio of modular furniture designs.

Tourism Recovery Helps Japan Grow in First Quarter

Gross domestic product rose at 1.6% annualised pace in January-March period

King Living has unveiled a modular version of its Aura Sofa, bringing greater flexibility to the sculptural design collection as demand grows for furniture that can adapt to changing lifestyles.