Source: International Business Times
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a tough weekend elections that polls suggest could see his ruling coalition lose control of the upper house AFP Asian markets headed into the weekend on a broadly positive note Friday, as investors took up New York's latest record highs sparked by healthy US retail data and upbeat earnings from some of Wall Street's big names. The readings helped divert attention away from Donald Trump's tariffs saga, with dozens of countries yet to cut deals with the US president two weeks before his August 1 deadline. However, Japanese investors were a little more anxious after news that rice prices once again doubled in June, compounding problems for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of weekend elections in which the grain has been a hot topic.