Household spending in Japan down 5% in July

Japan's inflation-adjusted household spending fell 5 percent in July compared to a year earlier. That marks the fifth straight month of decline amid rising prices.

The internal affairs ministry says the last time the indicator decreased by more was in February 2021.

Officials say households of two or more people spent 281,736 yen, or about 1,920 dollars on average.

Spending on education plunged 19.8 percent. Vehicle purchases dropped 18.1 percent. Expenditure on communications fell 7.6 percent as mobile phone users switched to cheaper plans.

But there were some bright spots as the coronavirus pandemic subsided. People went out more often, driving up transportation spending by 13 percent.
Restaurant spending also rose 8.5 percent.