Japan's jobless rate dropped slightly in February. New government data shows the seasonally adjusted figure at 2.7 percent, down 0.1 points from January.

The internal affairs ministry says there were 1.8 million unemployed people last month. That is 150 thousand fewer than in the same month last year, and is the eighth straight month the number has dropped.

Officials at the labor ministry say the ratio of job openings to job seekers was 1.21. That means there were 121 openings for every 100 applicants. That represents a slight improvement from January.