The MHLW reported that average cash earnings grew 1.3% in February, following the preceding month's rise of 1.2% and surpassing analysts' expectations for a 0.5% climb.
Japan's Statistics Bureau reported on Friday that household spending rose 0.1% in February, after climbing 2.0% in the prior month, whereas analysts anticipated an increase of 0.3%.
On Thursday, a German court reported that the former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont would be released on bail and could be extradited to Spain on corruption charges.
Vivendi, a French multinational mass media conglomerate, has released a list of candidates for the new Telecom Italia board.
Oil prices jumped on Thursday, boosted by US stock-market gains and an unexpected hike in oil prices by Saudi Arabia.
The French Prime Minister stated on Thursday that final university exams would be held as scheduled despite ongoing students' protests against Emmanuel Macron's economic reforms.
On Thursday, South Korean Defence Ministry stated that a fighter jet has crashed into a mountain southeast of Seoul with two pilots presumed dead.
On Thursday, the White House trade adviser Peter Navarro defended the position of Donald Trump on trade actions against China, adding that the administration will help farmers hit by trade tensions.
On Thursday, ride-sharing app Uber claimed that it will suspend its service in Greece after the approval of the new legislation that would impose stricter rules on ride-hailing companies.
On Thursday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella claimed that parliamentary talks aimed to resolve Italian political crisis failed and the next round of talks will be organised on the next week.
On Thursday, a senior US official said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the US President Donald Trump will meet on April 27 to discuss Iran nuclear deal and trade tensions with China.
The economic adviser of the US President Donald Trump Larry Kudlow said that a trade deal between China and the US is possible over time after both sides work out their trade differences.
Sirin Labs, Swiss-Israeli technology company, claimed that FIH Mobile LTD, a subsidiary of electronics manufacturer Foxconn, will manufacture the blockchain smartphone Finney.
The US President Donald Trump continued attacking Amazon.com and The Washington Post, the newspaper fully owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, calling it a "chief lobbyist" of Amazon.
Data released by Eurostat showed that the volume of retail trade in the Euro zone was up 0.1% over the course of February.
According to the data released by Markit on Thursday, the UK's services PMI dropped to 51.7 points in March, missing analysts' expectations for a 53.9-point reading.
Profits of the US-based seeds and agrochemicals company Monsanto Co missed analysts' estimates on Thursday, being negatively affected by lower sales volumes and corn prices.
The US trade deficit rose 1.6% to a nine-year high of $57.6B in February, being partly affected by an increase in commodity prices, the US Commerce Department reported on Thursday.
Glass Lewis, a proxy adviser, recommended Credit Suisse's shareholders to approve the key management pay scheme at the company's annual general meeting on April 27, despite some concerns over its transparency.
The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted his Justice Secretary's resignation, picking the leaders of the country's security forces.
On Thursday, shares in the Turkish majority state-owned Halkbank surged as much as 18%, after the US prosecution sought to sentence the bank's executive to 20 years in prison for helping Iran to avoid US sanctions.
India's online travel service MakeMyTrip tied up with Flipkart to allow its customers to book the local flight tickets and various travel services directly from the company's portal.
Italy's state lender CDP will buy a 5% stake in Telecom Italia, as it seeks to protect the Italian interest in the group, three sources reported on Thursday.
European stocks edged higher during Thursday's trading session, as the risk-averse sentiment caused by a possible trade war allayed.