Japan August retail sales rise 1.1 percent

Reuters
A shopper walks in Fast Retailing's Uniqlo casual clothing store in Tokyo July 11, 2013. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese retail sales rose 1.1 percent in August from a year earlier, government data showed on Monday, in a sign that consumer spending is gaining some momentum. That compares with the median estimate for a 0.1 percent annual increase and followed a 0.3 percent decline in the year to July, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed. To view full tables, go to the website of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry at: http://www.meti.go.jp/english/statistics/tyo/syoudou/index.html (Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Edmund Klamann)