Japanese consumer spending in January fell by the most in 35 months, data showed on Friday, although a government official blamed one-off factors and played down the impact on broader consumption trends.

Household spending in January decreased by 6.3% from a year earlier and was down for the 11th straight month, the internal affairs ministry data showed. That was worse than the median market forecast for a 4.3% decline and marked the biggest drop since February 2021.

On a seasonally adjusted, month-on-month basis, spending fell 2.1%, versus an estimated 0.4% increase.