AI Data Insight
Japan's retail sales in Q2 2026 (June) stood at 13,019.0 billion yen, falling from 13,447.0 billion yen in the previous month, with the year-on-year growth rate narrowing to 0.5%, missing the market consensus of 3.1%. A breakdown shows that although supported by auto and apparel purchases, main consumption categories such as fuel and department stores experienced a decline. Looking ahead, inflationary pressure and declining real purchasing power will be key challenges for the Bank of Japan in assessing monetary policy.