TOKYO: Household spending in Japan dropped 6.6 percent in February from a year before in price-adjusted real terms, as people refrained from leaving their homes in line with the Japanese government’s coronavirus state of emergency, government data showed Tuesday.

The fall also came as February 2020 had a leap day.

Consumption spending by households with two or more members in February this year averaged 252,451 yen, down for the third consecutive month, according to the internal affairs ministry data.

Spending on railway fares and accommodation nearly halved.

Expenditures on air fares plunged by over 80 percent and those on package tours plummeted by around 90 percent.

Meanwhile, spending on some items went down following a rise in demand the previous year. Spending on pasta fell by around 10 percent, while expenditures on toilet paper and tissues dropped over 30 percent.

Household spending in February fell at a faster pace than the previous month, reflecting the second state of emergency, as well as last year’s robust household spending due to the leap year effects, a ministry official said.

Excluding the leap year effects, household spending fell 4.3 percent in the reporting month, according to the ministry.

JIJI Press