TOKYO (March 5): Japan's household spending likely dropped in January from a year earlier, falling for a second straight month, after the government introduced a state of emergency to contain the coronavirus that month, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.

Household spending likely shed 2.1% in January from a year earlier, according to a median forecast in a Reuters poll of 15 economists, after a 0.6% decline in December. On a monthly basis, spending likely fell 3.1% in January after a 0.9% gain in December, according to the poll.