Retail sales in Japan climbed an annual 1.9 percent in January, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Tuesday, standing at 11.341 trillion yen. That was well above forecasts for a decline of 0.1 percent following the 2.5 percent increase in December.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales spiked 4.1 percent - again blowing past forecasts for a gain of 1.0 percent after adding 0.3 percent in December.
Sales from large retailers were down an annual 1.0 percent to 1.743 trillion yen - but that also beat forecasts for a fall of 1.1 percent after easing an upwardly revised 0.3 percent in the previous month.
The data also showed that wholesale sales were down 3.6 percent on year to 27.427 trillion yen and commercial sales lost an annual 2.1 percent to 38.768 trillion yen.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.