The unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.7 percent in July, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday.
That was above forecasts for 2.5 percent, which would have been unchanged from the June reading.
The jobs-to-applicant ratio was 1.24, exceeding expectations for 1.23, which again would have been unchanged.
The participation rate was 63.5 percent, down from 63.7 percent in the previous month.