The unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.4 percent in January, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday.
That was beneath expectations for 2.5 percent, which would have been unchanged from the December reading.
The jobs-to-applicant ratio was 1.35 - unchanged from the previous month but shy of forecasts for 1.36.
The participation rate was 62.2 percent, missing forecasts for 62.3 percent, which would have been unchanged.
