The unemployment rate fell in February and retail sales beat analysts' forecasts, signs that the economy was picking up before the March 11 disaster struck.

The jobless rate unexpectedly slid to 4.6 percent from January's 4.9 percent, the statistics bureau said Tuesday. The median estimate of 24 economists surveyed was for the rate to be unchanged.

Retail sales rose 0.1 percent from a year earlier, beating forecasts for a 0.5 percent drop, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a separate report.