Japan's housing starts decreased for the fourth straight month in February, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism showed on Tuesday.
Housing starts dropped 4.9 percent yearly in February, faster than the 0.4 percent fall in January. Economists had expected a decrease of 4.6 percent.
Declines were seen in all segments, except issued ones, which grew markedly by 33.9 percent. The built-for-sale category logged the steepest fall of 8.8 percent, and owned and rented categories decreased by 4.7 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.