The government Tuesday revised upward the key gauge of the state of the economy for December, underlining the gradual recovery.
The index of coincident economic indicators was revised to 80 percent, up from the preliminary 66.7 percent and far above the boom-or-bust line of 50 percent, the Cabinet Office said.
The upward revision is due to positive data on the capacity utilization rate at manufacturers that were unavailable for preliminary data released Feb. 5, and an improvement in the commercial sales index.
A reading above 50 percent is considered a sign of expansion. A figure below that is viewed as a sign of contraction.
The index of leading indicators was revised upward to 72.7 percent from the earlier reported 70 percent.