The total value of retail sales in Japan was up 5.0 percent on year in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Wednesday - coming in at 13,207 billion yen.
That missed expectations for an increase of 5.8 percent following the 6.9 percent gain in March.
Sales from large retailers fell 1.2 percent on month, also shy of forecasts for a flat reading after rising 0.6 percent in the previous month.
Wholesale sales were up 0.1 percent on year and 0.3 percent on month at 35,459 billion yen, while commercial sales fell 0.2 percent on month but gained 1.4 percent on year to 48,666 billion yen.
