Sentiment among so-called economy watchers, or people whose jobs are sensitive to changes in economic trends, improved for a fifth straight month in September, thanks to increased spending by foreign visitors and brisk home sales, a government survey showed Wednesday.
The diffusion index for economy watchers' current sentiment rose 0.4 point from August to 47.1 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Cabinet Office.
Based on the latest survey results, the government agency maintained its view that the economy is showing signs of picking up.
Of the current sentiment DI's components, the index for household activity increased 0.3 point, with the housing-related subindex jumping 5.3 points. The corporate activity index inched down 0.5 point, while the employment index rose 2.6 points.
Looking ahead, concerns remain over the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff measures.
The outlook DI for economic conditions two to three months ahead climbed 1.0 point to 48.5.
In the survey, conducted from Sept. 25 to 30, a convenience store operator in the southern Kanto region said that higher minimum wages are expected to boost consumption.
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