Combined sales by Japanese retailers and wholesalers rose 0.9 percent in November from a year before to 45.919 trillion yen to mark the second consecutive month of growth, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said Tuesday.

Wholesalers' sales rose 1.4 percent to 34.995 trillion yen for the second straight monthly increase, but retailers' sales slid 0.7 percent to 10.924 trillion yen for a record 44th consecutive monthly drop, the ministry said in a preliminary report.

A ministry official portrayed sales conditions in Japan as flat, making it the sixth month in a row MITI has maintained this assessment.

In the wholesale sector, mineral and metal sales jumped 10.3 percent and machinery sales rose 7.9 percent. But sales of textile products fell 12.7 percent, agricultural and fisheries products 8.5 percent, and clothing and sundry goods 8.5 percent.

In retail sales, beverages fell 4.5 percent, miscellaneous goods 1.4 percent, and fabrics, apparel and accessories 0.4 percent. In contrast, fuel sales grew 10.2 percent, followed by a 6.9 percent rise in automobile sales and a 4.1 percent increase in household appliance sales.

Overall sales at large retailers slipped 1.4 percent to 1.85 trillion yen, down for the ninth consecutive month.