Retail sales inched up 0.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 10.60 trillion yen for the first rise in two months, underpinned by robust sales of fuel due to relatively low temperatures, the government said Wednesday.
"Although a modest recovery has been seen, the trend seems to be flat," the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report, repeating the same phrase used for the October data.
Retail sales of food and beverages dipped 2.5 percent in November as sales of beverages were sluggish.