Japan’s household spending falls 3.0% in June
July 29 (Kyodo) — Average Japanese monthly household spending fell a price-adjusted 3.0 percent in June from a year earlier to 272,791 yen. The average monthly income of salaried households came to 710,375 yen, down 6.6 percent in real terms. Household spending rose 1.5 percent in June from the previous month in seasonally adjusted terms, reversing the contractions seen in April and May. Retail sales fell 0.6 percent in June from a year ago, faster than a 0.4 percent decline in the year to May. The pace of decline was slower compared with 1997 when the sales tax was last raised, the trade ministry said.