Japan's household spending down for 9th month in November

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

TOKYO, Dec. 26 (Chinese media) -- Japan's average monthly household spending

declined for the nine straight month in November, down by0.5 percent

year-on-year to 284,762 yen (3164 U.S. dollars) in real terms, said a government

report released on Friday.

Spending on education suffered the first fall in three months, contracting

by 8.7 percent, while expenditures on food went up 0.5percent, marking the first

rise in nine months, said the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in

a preliminary report.

Meanwhile, the average monthly income of salaried households in November

shrank 0.3 percent to 439,394 yen (4882 dollars) and their disposable income was

down 0.9 percent to 366,664 yen (4074 dollars), according to the report.

Japan's household spending accounts for some 55 percent of the nation's

gross domestic product (GDP).