MNI DATA IMPACT: Japan May Retail Sales Up 1.2% Y/Y

--Japan retail Sales Gain For 19th Straight Month In May

     TOKYO (MNI) - Japan's retail sales picked up in May, with sales volume

higher in every industry, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

(METI) showed Thursday.

     Here are the key points from the latest retail sales data:

     --Retail sales rose 1.2% year-on-year in May, faster than the 0.5% y/y

growth in April and in line with the forecast by MNI. The growth posted a peak

so far this year and the 19th straight monthly rise. 

     --General merchandise sales rose -- 1.4 percentage points faster than in

the previous month. Sales for machinery and equipment rose 5.6% y/y, up from

2.1% y/y reported in April.

     --Fuel sales grew for a third month, though the 0.6% y/y growth is slower

than the 3.3% y/y gain in April. 

     --Sales of food and beverages continued to rise, up 1.2% y/y after last

month's 1.5% y/y. Sales for medicine and toiletry stores extended the strong

growth seen last month -- up 4.8% y/y in May from previous 5.8% y/y.

     --Retail sales increased 0.3% m/m in May, up from last month's 0.1% m/m

drop, marking the second quickest growth this year.

--MNI Beijing Bureau; tel: +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: flora.guo@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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