The government said Thursday its key gauge of the economy remained below the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent in October, marking its 10th consecutive month under this line.
The coincident index, designed to measure the current state of the economy, stood at 0.0 percent in the latest reporting month after coming in at a revised 9.1 percent in September, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report.
"The index suggests that the Japanese economy is still in a severe situation, as I mentioned last month," remarked Cabinet Office economist Yoshihiko Senoo. "It is very possible that the coincident index will stay below the 50 percent level in the next report covering November."