TOKYO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Spending among Japanese households with two or more members averaged 325,717 yen (about 2,264 U.S. dollars) in April, marking a 0.1-percent year-on-year decline in real terms (adjusted for inflation), official data showed Friday.
In nominal terms, however, spending rose 4.0 percent, according to data from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
A key factor behind the overall decline was the category of "miscellaneous expenses", which dropped 8.6 percent in real terms.
Clothing and footwear spending also fell by 2.1 percent, attributed to lower-than-usual temperatures that held back demand for summer apparel.
Furniture and household goods spending dipped 0.4 percent, with weak sales in durable items.
On the other hand, food, which accounts for a significant share of household budgets, increased by 0.3 percent in real terms and 6.8 percent in nominal terms.
The surge in fresh food prices seen earlier in the year stabilized, resulting in the first real increase in eight months. Rice spending also rose 1.5 percent in real terms, the first increase in three months. ■
