May 1, 2012

Slow but steady economic recovery

Japan’s economic prospects are not very bright due to the effects of the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami and the stronger yen. But it is not that the prospects are completely gloomy. The government’s monthly assessment of the economy for April released in mid-April by ...

Apr 7, 2012

Cautious economic outlook

The Bank of Japan’s tankan survey of business sentiment in March, whose results were released Monday, shows that major manufacturers are cautious about their business prospects. Their diffusion index (DI) for March — the percentage of firms optimistic about their business outlook minus the ...