epa10324453 Pedestrians cross a street in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan, 24 November 2022. A recent slide of the Japanese currency shrank the country's economy by rising import costs for various goods. Core consumer prices surged 3.6 percent in October 2022, the fastest pace in 40 years as the local government announced on 18 November 2022. EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA