Japan got a double dose of good economic news Friday with the release of healthy industrial production and consumer price figures that underline continued recovery of second-largest economy in the world.
Optimism was tempered by a drop in household spending and a report showing that unemployment remained steady at 4.1 percent in August, but investors still cheered the news.
The overall figures point in the right direction for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office Tuesday and is under pressure to continue the economic revival that began under his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi.