Retail in Asia

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Car sales plunge to 31-year low

Japan’s domestic sales of new vehicles declined 9.3 percent in 2009 to 4.61 million, slipping below the 5 million mark for the first time in 31 years, industry bodies said Tuesday.

It was the fifth straight year of decline, indicating that the vehicle market has been shrinking due to young people shifting away from cars, and the overall economic gloom.