2015.04.2720:10:00UTC+00Japan Retail Sales Tumble 9.7% In March

The total value of retail sales in Japan was down 9.7 percent on year in March, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Tuesday - coming in at 12.396 trillion yen.

That missed forecasts for a decline of 7.5 percent following the 1.7 percent contraction in February.

Sales from large retailers plummeted an annual 13.0 percent to 1.715 trillion yen - also missing estimates for a fall of 10.9 percent following the 1.3 percent increase in the previous month.

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales dipped 1.9 percent versus expectations for an increase of 0.6 percent after gaining 0.7 percent a month earlier.