The Democratic Party of Japan-led government issued its first monthly economic report Friday, inheriting the previous administration's view that the economy is picking up but remains in a severe situation with high unemployment.
The economic assessment has remained basically unchanged for the third consecutive month, although the new government, inaugurated Sept. 16, changed some of the wording and added a warning about the fragility of recent economic improvement.
"Although the economy has been picking up, it is short of autonomous factors and remains in a difficult situation, such as a high unemployment rate," the latest monthly report by the Cabinet Office said.