Business sentiment among workers with jobs sensitive to economic trends in Japan posted the largest rise in eight months in February, as the government began lifting its latest coronavirus state of emergency in stages amid a decline in infections, government data showed Monday.
The diffusion index of confidence in current conditions compared with three months earlier among "economy watchers" such as taxi drivers and restaurant staff rose 10.1 points from January to 41.3, according to a survey by the Cabinet Office.
The February index logged its first rise in four months, following a decrease of 3.1 the previous month, and its sharpest gain since June when the index gained a record 23.3 points.