Japan's real household spending falls 3.1% in August, ninth straight monthly decline
In short
Spending by Japanese households of two or more people fell 3.1% in real terms in August from a year earlier, according to the household survey released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, NHK reported. It was the ninth consecutive month of decline.
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The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released its household survey for August, which showed that households of two or more people spent 3.1% less on consumption than in the same month a year earlier, after excluding price changes, NHK reported. Nikkei also reported a 3.1% fall in real consumption spending. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun reported the same 3.1% decline in household consumption spending, and all four outlets said it was the ninth consecutive monthly decrease. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The household survey is an official measure of how much households spend on consumption. The August figure extends the run of year-on-year declines to nine months.
Key facts
- Real consumption spending by households of two or more people fell 3.1% in August from the same month a year earlier. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The decline was the ninth consecutive month of decrease. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The figures come from the household survey (kakei chosa) released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. [ 3 ]
- The real figure excludes the effect of price changes. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The exact amount spent per household in August. NHK's summary gives a per-household figure that begins at 319,000 yen but is cut off, and no other document states it.
- Which categories of spending drove the decline. The documents available are headlines and a short summary that give no breakdown.