Japanese department store sales fell 66% in May from a year earlier, extending their decline for an eighth straight month amid a dearth of tourists while recovering slightly from April as some stores reopened, an industry group said on Tuesday.

Department stores including Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings' stores began reopening in late May after being closed since early April.

Nationwide department store sales in April fell 73%, the biggest decline on record, according to the Japan Department Stores Association.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; editing by Jason Neely)