Children in Japan felt the effects of deflation in their New Year's "otoshidama" monetary gifts, with the average received down 886 yen to 25,538 yen, according to a survey by Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank.

Reflecting the economic slump, the average gift fell after increasing last year for the first time in four years.

The bank, a member of Mizuho Holdings Inc., conducted a survey on 509 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade schoolchildren and their mothers in Tokyo on Jan. 5 and 6 and released the results Tuesday.

Japanese children receive the cash gifts mainly from their parents and other close relatives as an expression of good wishes for the new year.

According to the survey, the average otoshidama given by an adult was down by 290 yen to 3,891 yen.

However, children received a gift from an average 6.6 people, up from last year's record low 6.3, the survey says, attributing the rise to people tending to stay home rather than travel abroad over the holidays in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

As for what children planned to spend the gifts on, toys such as game software were chosen by 55.2 percent of them, followed by stationery at 20.2 percent and sundries at 17.5 percent.

Nearly 80 percent said they planned to save some of the money.