The total value of retail sales in Japan was up 7.2 percent on year in March, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday - coming in at 14.567 trillion yen.
That exceeded expectations for an increase of 5.8 percent following the 7.3 percent gain in February.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales added 0.6 percent - slowing from 2.1 percent in the previous month.
For the first quarter of 2023, retail sales gained 2.6 percent on quarter and 6.5 percent on year at 39.781 trillion yen.
