Japan's unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent in December, falling below the 5 percent threshold for the first time since June 2001, the government said Friday.

The December data put the nation's unemployment rate at 5.3 percent in 2003, down from a record high 5.4 percent in 2002. This marks also a first annual drop since 1990.

The average jobless rate for men was unchanged at 5.5 percent, matching the record high registered in 2002, while that for women came to 4.9 percent, down 0.2 percentage point to mark a first decline in 13 years.