TOKYOreelbckastkingsharkyiii, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Duty-free sales at department stores across Japan totaled 71.8 billion yen (449 million U.S. dollars) in May, up about 3.3-fold from a year earlier, setting a new record for the third consecutive month, data by an industry body showed.

Overall sales at 177 stores operated by 71 companies rose 14.4 percent from a year earlier to 469.2 billion yen, marking the 27th consecutive month of growth, bolstered by increasing numbers of foreign visitors to Japan and strong purchases of luxury brands and other high-end items, the Japan Department Stores Association said Monday.

The increase in visitors led to a 19.4 percent increase in total sales across 10 major cities in Japan, while high-end art, jewelry and precious metals saw a 36.7 percent jump in sales, the association said.

An association official said the stores will likely continue benefitting from foreign visitors for a while, adding that the strong purchasing trends among Chinese visitors have pushed up sales and average spending per consumer for the month.■