Retail sales in Japan fell a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent on month in December, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Monday, cited by rttnews.

That missed expectations for a decline of 0.5 percent following the 0.2 percent increase in November.

On a yearly basis, retail sales added 0.6 percent - also shy of forecasts for a gain of 1.7 percent, which would have been unchanged from the November reading.

Large retailer sales dropped an annual 1.3 percent, missing forecasts for a fall of 1.0 percent following the 0.3 percent drop in the previous month.