The internal affairs ministry said households of two or more people spent an average of 310,975 yen in August, down a real 3.1 percent from a year earlier.
Japan's household spending fell a real 3.1 percent in August from a year earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday, Kyodo News reported. Households of two or more people spent an average of 310,975 yen, about 1,960 dollars.
The series is a main gauge of private consumption, which accounts for more than half of Japan's gross domestic product. A decline in the real figure means spending did not keep pace with prices compared with August 2025.
Kyodo's digest gave the headline change and the average outlay. It did not itemize which categories drove the drop in the summary available here. The dollar conversion is Kyodo's.
The release is the official August reading. It is separate from wage data and from the Bank of Japan's September rate decision, which are not part of this figure.
Later monthly reports can revise the picture of consumption. Friday's number is the ministry's initial August result as relayed by Kyodo.