Jobless Rate Inched Up To 5.2% In May

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry announced that Japan's unemployment rate rose for the third straight month in May, up a seasonally adjusted 0.1% points from April to 5.2%. It may reflect companies' cautious stance about adding payrolls due to uncertain economic prospects amid Europe's sovereign debt woes. Japan's jobless rate hit an all-time high of 5.6% in July last year. It fell below 5.0% in January for the first time in 10 months, before rising back above the line in March.