Retail sales in Japan fell slightly in April from a year earlier, new data showed today.
However, economists are holding the view that a recovery in consumer spending will help underpin firm economic growth.
Retail sales fell 0.6 per cent in April, slightly below a median forecast by economists for a 0.5 per cent decline.
Economists blamed bad weather at weekends and recent falls in Tokyo share prices for dampening spending on items such as clothing, which fell 2.4 per cent from a year earlier.
Compared with March, retail sales rose 0.1 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.
Financial markets reacted little to the data, with the stock market's Nikkei average up 0.13 per cent as shares of exporters rose due to a weaker yen. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond was up one basis point at 1.860 per cent.
Retail sales have been on an uptrend for the past year due to a pickup in consumer spending and rises in the value of fuel sales stemming from higher oil prices.
Some economists said higher oil prices may have started to dampen sales of automobiles and machinery and prompt some people to make fewer trips by car so as to cut spending on fuel.