New vehicle sales, excluding mini- vehicles, slid down 5.6 percent from a year earlier to 206,906 units in May in Japan for the second straight month of decrease probably due to the sales tax hike on April 1, according to local report Monday.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said that passenger car sales fell 6.9 percent to 178,653 units and those of buses fell 19 percent to 513 units. Truck sales went up 4.7 percent to 27,740 units, according to Japan's Kyodo News.

Sales of mini-vehicles with engine displacement of up to 660 cc rose 5.3 percent from a year earlier to 156,464 units, up for the 11th consecutive month, said the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. Enditem