Retail sales inched up 0.1 percent in May from a year earlier to 10.56 trillion yen after a 0.8 percent fall in April, as bad weather affected sales of summer clothing and food, and vehicle sales were weaker than the previous year, the government said Wednesday.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry left unchanged its assessment of retail sales, saying in a preliminary report for May, "Although a modest recovery has been seen, the trend seems to be flat," a description it has used since last October.
In the reporting month, retail sales of automobiles declined 2.4 percent compared with a year ago, when new-model vehicles sold well. Food sales dropped 1.1 percent, pushed lower by weaker fruit prices. Sales of clothing slipped 2.5 percent.