Preliminary Report on the Current Survey of Commerce

Data Consumption

Source: Japan METI
Source Link: https://www.meti.go.jp/
Frequency: Monthly
Next Release(s): August 29th, 2025 6:50 PM

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Japanese retail sales were up 1.0% MoM and 2.0% YoY (vs 1.8% YoY expected) in June, largely unchanged from the 1.9% YoY gain in May.
- Total commercial sales fell -0.8% MoM but increased 1.7% YoY, bouncing back from a -0.2% YoY decline previously.
- Wholesale sales saw a larger -1.6% MoM decline but also increased 1.7% YoY, also bouncing back from a decline (-0.9% YoY) previously.
- General merchandise sales dropped -5.3% MoM, the sharpest decline since August 2024.
- Building materials dropped -3.9% MoM, the largest drop since August 2024.
- Auto sales bounced in May, up 6.3% MoM, but saw a sharp decline in June of -6.1% MoM.
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Japanese retail sales fell -0.2% MoM in May as the annual increase slowed to 2.2% YoY (vs 2.7% YoY expected), down from 3.5% YoY in April.
- Total commercial sales edged up 0.3% MoM and were actually down -0.2% YoY, the first annual decline since March 2024.
- Wholesale sales were up 0.8% MoM but down -0.9% YoY, the first annual decline since March 2024.
- The annual decline in general merchandise sales got even worse, down -14.9% YoY in May, below -10.9% YoY in April.
- Machinery & equipment sales growth slowed to 1.4% YoY, the lowest since June 2024.
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Japanese retail sales grew 0.5% MoM and were up 3.3% YoY in April, beating expectations of a 3.1% YoY increase.
- Total commercial sales fell -0.1% MoM (but were up 2.0% YoY), and wholesale sales were down -0.7% MoM (but up 1.4% YoY).
- General merchandise stores continue to see weak sales vs last year, down -10.6% YoY.
- The annual growth in machinery & equipment sales slowed to just 0.1% YoY, the lowest since June 2024.
- Food & beverage retail sales saw a significant acceleration in annual growth from 1.8% YoY in March to 9.5% YoY in April.
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Japanese retail sales fell -1.2% MoM but were up 3.1% YoY in March, below expectations of a 3.5% YoY increase.
- Total commercial sales fell -1.6% MoM (but were up 3.5% YoY), and wholesale sales were down -1.6% MoM (but up 3.6% YoY).
- In Q1 2025, retail sales increased 1.5% QoQ and 2.9% YoY with total commercial sales up 1.7% QoQ and 3.7% YoY.
- Machinery & equipment sales and clothing & accessories sales saw the strongest growth, up 6.7% YoY and 7.6% YoY respectively.
Japanese retail sales were up 0.5% MoM and 1.4% YoY in February, below expectations of a 2.0% YoY and down from a strong 4.4% YoY increase in January.
- Commercial sales increased 0.5% MoM and 1.5% YoY, down from 6.1% YoY in January and the lowest since September 2024.
- Wholesale sales edged up 0.2% MoM and 1.5% YoY, down from 6.9% YoY.
- Same store department store sales were down -1.7% YoY, while same store supermarket sales growth managed to remain positive at 1.6% YoY.
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Japanese retail sales increased 0.5% MoM and 3.9% YoY in January, up from 3.5% YoY in December but slightly below expectations of a 4.0% YoY increase.
- Commercial sales increased 0.8% MoM and 6.3% YoY, up from 3.8% YoY and the strongest increase since July 2024.
- Wholesale sales bounced back 1.1% MoM and were up 7.2% YoY.
Japanese commercial sales fell -0.5% MoM but were still up 3.6% YoY in December. This includes a -0.5% MoM decline in wholesale sales and a -0.7% MoM decline in retail sales. The annual increase of retail sales was higher, however, at 3.7% YoY, above expectations of a 3.2% YoY annual rate and the highest since June, as a result of a -1.5% MoM drop in December 2023. Goods sales reported their first YoY decline in over a year at -0.9% YoY, but it was services sales, down -39.1% YoY, that was the primary drag on retail activity.
Japanese retail sales increased 1.8% MoM in November, the largest monthly increase since September 2021. Annual retail sales growth was 2.8% YoY, a three month high. Wholesale sales were flat on the month and up 4.0% YoY. Service sector sales were down -12.3% YoY to the lowest level so far in 2024.

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