TOKYO, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's jobless rate reached 5.2 percent in May, up from 5.0 percent in April and hitting its highest level in more than five years, according to government data released Tuesday.

    The number of jobless people rose 770,000 from a year earlier to 3.47 million for the seventh straight monthly increase, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a preliminary report.

    The jobless rate, which was slightly worse than an average market forecast of 5.1 percent, matched the 5.2 percent posted in September 2003. The record post-World War II high of 5.5 percent was registered in April 2003, the ministry said.

    Separate data from the labor ministry showed there were only 44job offers for every 100 job seekers in May, down from 46 in April, marking the lowest on record.