Spending by wage-earning households increased by an inflation-adjusted 0.2 percent in January from a year earlier, following a 4.4 percent decline in December, the government said Friday.

Average monthly spending by salaried workers' households came to 328,060 yen in January, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said in a monthly report.

Spending is not recovering strongly yet, but, "it is not rapidly worsening," a ministry official said.