51.   Japanese consumer spending has flagged since the government raised the national sales tax in April.

52.   Japanese consumers and companies could hurt the French if they wanted to.

53.   Japanese consumers are hesitant to spend because companies are busy cutting costs and workforces.

54.   Japanese consumers have been reluctant to spend in the last two years, partly because of concern over wage growth and job security.

55.   Japanese consumers, angry at a near doubling in sales taxes, have resisted the impulse to take advantage of low borrowing rates and spend.

56.   Japanese consumers, pinched by the ailing economy, want cheaper but still high-quality cars.

57.   Japanese consumers, who give towels on all sorts of occasions and particularly in return for the traditional cash gifts from friends to family members of someone who dies.

58.   Japanese prices have been falling for years, and the longer they fall the more Japanese consumers postpone buying until prices fall even further.

59.   Japanese conglomerate and Warner partner The Daiei recently bought the building from Kanebo, a Japanese consumer products specialist.

60.   Japanese consumers are more reluctant than their American counterparts to send their credit card account numbers out into cyberspace.