Yamato Transport Co., a major parcel delivery service provider in Japan, said Friday the number of items it delivered in October hit a record for the month at 168.42 million on robust demand for online shopping amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 20.7 percent year-on-year increase in the delivery figures was the largest since 2000, according to the company.

Another factor behind the sharp increase was a significant drop in the number of delivered parcels in October last year, due to the consumption tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent implemented that month.

The previous record for year-on-year increase in the delivery figures over the past 20 years was a 19.8 percent rise logged in March 2014, a month before the consumption tax rate was raised from 5 percent to 8 percent.

==Kyodo

© Kyodo News International, Inc., source Newswire