TOKYO, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Household spending in Japan increased for a sixth straight month in May due to the extended Golden Week string of national holidays, the government said in a report on Friday.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, expenditure by households with two or more people increased 4.0 percent in real terms from a year earlier to 300,901 yen (2,790 U.S. dollars) in May.
The increase in household expenditure marks the biggest since May 2015, the statistics bureau said, adding that the rise in spending led to an upgraded assessment that household spending in Japan is "picking up."
The upgraded assessment is the first by the ministry since January when it said that household spending here was showing "signs of recovery."
In addition to households spending more on leisure and transport, ministry officials also said that spending was also boosted by hot weather in the recording period, which saw people purchase summer clothing and air conditioners.
Household spending in Japan is a key indicator of private consumption, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.
On an inflation-adjusted basis, the average monthly income of salaried households with at least two people dropped 0.2 percent on year to 457,376 yen, marking the first decline in the seven months, the government also said Friday.
It said this was due to the extended Golden Week string of national holidays and a reduction of hours for those in part-time employment.
