The unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.6 percent in March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Tuesday.
That was shy of expectations for 2.7 percent, which would have been unchanged from the February reading.
The jobs-to-applicant ratio was 1.22, matching forecasts and up from 1.21 in the previous month.
The participation rate was 62.1 percent, topping forecasts for 62.0 percent and up from 61.8 percent a month earlier.