The nation's main composite index of economic indicators rose in April for the second straight month, the government said Tuesday.
The index of coincident indicators, such as industrial output, retail sales and new job offers, increased 2 points from the previous month to 112.2 against the 2010 base of 100, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report. The tally is seen as a strong indicator of the nation's fiscal health.
The index of leading indicators, which predicts developments in the coming few months, rose 1.4 points to 100.5, while that of lagging indicators, measuring economic performance in the recent past, was up 0.7 point to 115.1.
The government maintained its basic assessment of the coincident index as "pausing."