Japanese household spending fell in July from a year ago, government data showed on Friday, in a sign that consumer spending is struggling to recover after an increase in the national sales tax. The 5.9 percent year-on-year decrease exceeded the median market forecast for a 3.0 percent annual decline. Spending fell 0.2 percent in July from the previous month in seasonally adjusted terms as households spent an average 280,293 yen (1,629.23 pounds), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. The median estimate was for a 1.6 percent month-on-month increase. The government raised the national sales tax to ... (full story)