Large manufacturers feeling confident about business conditions outnumbered those who are pessimistic in September for the first time in 33 months, a Bank of Japan "tankan" survey showed Wednesday. But analysts said it is still too soon to cheer.
With exports and continuing domestic demand for electronics goods and machinery giving companies a lift, the business sentiment index for major manufacturers stood at plus 1 in September, up from minus 5 in June.
It was the second straight quarterly improvement.