India, June 30 -- Japan's housing starts decreased sharply for the second straight month in May, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism showed on Monday.
Housing starts slumped 34.4 percent year-on-year in May, faster than the 26.6 percent decline in April. Economists had expected a decrease of 15.0 percent.
The data indicated a decrease in new construction across all categories, with the exception of issued ones. The decline was more evident in the built-for-sale category, which tumbled by 43.8 percent.
There was also a sharp decrease of 30.9 percent and 30.5 percent, respectively, in the owned and rented segments.
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