By Leika Kihara and Tetsushi KajimotoTOKYO( Reuters)-Japanese big manufacturers' business confidence improved in the second quarter to hit a two-and-half-year high, a central bank survey showed, a sign solid global demand was helping the economy emerge from the coronavirus pandemic-induced doldrums. Service-sector sentiment also turned positive for the first time in five quarters, suggesting that the economic recovery was broadening even as Japan struggles to contain a fresh wave of coronavirus

Reuters Tankan poll showed. Sentiment among manufacturers fell as export-reliant firms such as carmakers

September from 14 in the prior period, according to the Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey

TOKYO: Japanese big manufacturers’ business confidence improved in the second quarter to hit a two-and-half-year high, a central bank survey showed, a sign solid global demand was helping the economy emerge from the coronavirus pandemic-induced doldrums. Service-sector sentiment also turned positive for the first time in five quarters, suggesting that the economic recovery was broadening even as Japan struggles to contain a fresh wave of coronavirus infections. The headline index for big manufac

TOKYO: Japan kept the overall assessment of its economy unchanged for a second straight month in July, retaining the view that conditions remain severe due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.In a monthly report approved by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s cabinet yesterday, the government said full attention should be given to the way infection trends are affecting the domestic economy as well as those abroad.“ The economy shows increased weakness in some parts, though it continued picking

This photo shows the Bank of Japan headquarters building in Tokyo's Chuo Ward.... Confidence was at its highest since it stood at 19 in the December 2018 survey.... The index for large nonmanufacturers, including the coronavirus pandemic-battered service sector, rose to 1 from minus 1 in the March survey, turning positive for the first time in five quarters....

TOKYO: Japan's factory activity shrank for an eighth straight month in January as output and new orders declined due to the subsiding economy at home and overseas, a private-sector survey showed on Thursday. The final au Jibun Bank Japan manufacturing purchasing managers' index( PMI) rose to 48.0 in January from 47.9 in December, but remained below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction in activity, where it has languished since June." Depressed economic conditions at home and

Robotic arms put in the electric vehicle powertrain into the Ariya model in the assembly line at Nissan's Tochigi plant in Kaminokawa town, Tochigi prefecture, Japan, on Oct.... Machinery orders from the manufacturing sector fell 13.4 percent to 373.2 billion yen, the first decrease in five months and the sharpest fall since a 26.6 percent decline marked in February 2016.... Total orders stood at 2.7 trillion yen, down 7.8 percent, after growing 11.7 percent in July....

Global trade has remained a tailwind for economic growth, even as shipping costs remain elevated. The relatively steady expansion in the world’s second-largest economy is a boon for the rest of Asia, much of which relies on China as its top trading partner.... The gauge has been in expansion since May 2020. China’s official manufacturing PMI was little changed at 50.9 in June, marking a 16th straight month of expansion, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.... That matches the Bank

This file photo shows the head office of the Bank of Japan in Tokyo.... The BOJ is weighing the option of keeping a scaled-back version after the current program ends at the end of March, leaving support intact for small and midsize companies facing greater funding needs than bigger ones, the sources said.... The option under consideration is to reduce purchases of corporate bonds and commercial paper issued by large companies, according to the sources....