Japan's unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent in February as big companies took pains to cut jobs to fight global recession.

The number of jobless people rose to 2.99 million people, up 330,000 from a year ago and marked four straight months of increase, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

The result follows a decline in the rate in January to 4.1 percent.

Separately, the government said household spending fell 3.5 percent in February year-on-year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2009)