Sales at department stores in Tokyo rose 2.1 percent in December from a year earlier on a same-store basis to 223.4 billion yen, an industry body said Friday.
The second consecutive month of rise was helped by chilly temperatures that stimulated demand for winter clothes, the Japan Department Stores Association said.
It was the first year-on-year rise in five years for the month of December, customarily a month of big gift sales for department stores.