The value of retail sales in Japan was down 1.8 percent on year in February, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday, coming in at 10.723 trillion yen.
That missed forecasts for a decline of 1.5 percent following the 2.0 percent fall in January.
Sales from large retailers advanced 1.3 percent on year to 1.499 trillion yen - beating expectations for an increase of 0.7 percent following the flat reading in the previous month.
On a monthly basis, retail sales added 0.7 percent - missing expectations for 0.9 percent following the 1.9 percent decline a month earlier.
Commercial sales were down 3.1 percent on year to 36.472 trillion yen, the data showed, while wholesale sales fell 3.7 percent to 25.749 trillion yen.
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May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.