A survey showed Saturday that 63.7 percent of respondents are not refraining from spending despite the April 1 sales tax hike, while 34.8 percent said the rate's increase to 8 percent from 5 percent has restrained their spending to some extent.

The survey also found that 67.5 percent voiced concerns about the future course of the economy following the tax hike.

In the nationwide telephone survey conducted by Kyodo News on Friday and Saturday, the approval rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood at 59.8 percent, up 2.9 percentage points from the previous survey last month.