Tertiary industry activity logged its first drop in four years in 2002, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The tertiary industry index fell 1 percent to a reading of 106.2, against the 1995 base of 100.
This caused the all-industry index, a supply-side measure of the domestic economy, to drop 1.3 percent to 101.2, marking its second straight year of decline.
In the October-December period, the tertiary industry index fell a seasonally adjusted 1 percent from the previous quarter to 105.5, marking its first slide in two quarters, while the all-industry index fell 1 percent to 100.9, marking its first dip in a year.
In December alone, the tertiary industry index fell 0.7 percent to 104.8, while the all-industry index dropped 0.6 percent to 100.2, both marking fourth consecutive monthly declines.
METI attributed the December fall primarily to a 3.8 percent decline in retail activity.