Japans' jobless rate at 4.3% in June

Japan's unemployment rate improved in June for the 2nd month in a row. Japan's internal affairs ministry said on Tuesday that the seasonally adjusted rate was 4.3% in June, down 0.1 percentage point from May, according to Japan's (NHK WORLD) website. Over 63-million people had jobs, while nearly 2.9 million were unemployed. The number of employed was down 60,000 year-on-year, while the unemployed figure was down 260,000, although last year's statistics for the three disaster-hit prefectures in northeastern Japan are based on estimates. Another survey shows that job availability also improved in June for the 13th consecutive month. Japan's labor ministry says 82 openings were available for every 100 job seekers, up one from May. The ministry says job offers remain high in disaster-hit Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures due to reconstruction demand. It says it will continue making efforts to create jobs in the region.