Futures sit 9 ticks higher, at session.........>

JGBS: Futures sit 9 ticks higher, at session highs, with USD/JPY trading lower

in early Asia-Pac trade, although broader headline flow remains very limited.

- Yields sit lower across the curve, with the belly outperforming.

- Local data has been in focus, although had no real impact on the space; retail

sales were a touch soft, industrial production was virtually in line with exp,

with the core Tokyo CPI prints a touch stronger than expected, while there was a

surprise downtick in the unemployment rate.

- Elsewhere, there were no standouts in the summary of opinions from the BoJ's

Dec meeting.