25.02.202123:15:00UTC+00Japan Retail Sales Slip 0.5% In January

The value of retail sales in Japan was down a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent on month in January, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday - coming in at 12.097 trillion yen.

That beat expectations for a fall of 0.6 percent following the 0.8 percent decline in December.

On a yearly basis, retail sales dropped 2.4 percent - again exceeding expectations for a fall of 2.6 percent after the 0.2 percent dip in the previous month.

Wholesale sales were up 2.1 percent on month and down 5.3 percent on year at 29.402 trillion yen, while commercial sales rose 0.5 percent on month and sank 4.7 percent on year at 41.499 trillion yen.