[Japan’s real household consumption has declined year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month] On October 9, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released survey results on the 9th that showed that Japanese household consumption continued to be weak, with real household consumption expenditures in August declining year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month. Data show that the average monthly consumption expenditure of Japanese households with two or more people fell by 3.1% year-on-year in August. Among the 10 major categories of consumer spending, 9 categories experienced year-on-year declines. Specifically, food expenditures fell by 1.4% that month; education expenditures dropped significantly, down 12.3%; expenditures on water, electricity, and gas fell by 5.2%, declining for six consecutive months; expenditures on clothing, footwear, furniture, and household items also declined.