Household spending remained virtually unchanged in August from a year earlier, with families spending an average 302,657 yen, up 0.6 percent.
The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said Friday in a preliminary report that the rise reflects firm spending on transportation, telecommunications, culture and entertainment.
Spending on culture and entertainment grew 8.4 percent, spending on transportation and telecommunications fees rose 5.1 percent, while that on education-related spending soared 22.1 percent.
Spending on housing dropped 17.2 percent due to a decline in outlays for renovation and maintenance.
Household spending also rose 0.4 percent in year-on-year nominal terms. It posted a seasonably adjusted increase of 2.8 percent from July in real terms.