Japan's Ministry of economy and industry announced August retail Sales fell 2.6%, the first decline in March, exceeding economists' expectations, the biggest decline in May, further indicating that Japan's economic recovery is losing momentum.

Data show that Japan's retail sales in August Sale The annual decline was 2.6%, the biggest decline since May, while Japan's retail sales fell 1.3% in May. Economists surveyed were expected to fall by 0.8%.

Fast Retailing Co., Asia's largest clothing chain, said its sales in the same store in August fell by 9.4% compared with the same period last year, due to lower temperatures causing summer clothing sales to be sluggish.

As of June, the Japanese economy contracted for the third consecutive quarter. according to government A survey of economists predicts that the economy will grow at an annual rate of 4.6% in the third quarter.