The national wealth slipped 2.6 percent in 2003 to 2.72 quadrillion yen for the sixth consecutive year of decline.
The Cabinet Office said Thursday in its 2003 national accounts statistics that the national wealth, which represents the nation's net assets, was down 23 percent from its peak at the end of 1990. Per capita, the national wealth fell 590,000 yen to 21.35 million yen, it said.
The fall was attributed primarily to a downtrend in land prices.
Land assets, which account for about a half of the national wealth, shrank 71.7 trillion yen in 2003 to 1.29 quadrillion yen for the 13th consecutive year of decline.