Japan's service sector activity expanded in February, extending gains for one-and-a half years, a business survey showed on Tuesday, helped by solid demand in tourism and new product launches.
The service sector has been a positive area for the economy, offsetting some of the weakness in manufacturing caused by subdued global demand.
The final au Jibun Bank Service purchasing managers' index (PMI) came to 52.9 in February, against 53.1 in January. While the expansion eased slightly, the index has remained above the 50.0 threshold separating expansion from contraction since September 2022.