Japan's corporate profits in the January to March quarter posted the largest fall since 2009, affected by the new coronavirus pandemic that has ripped through the global economy, government data showed Monday.

Pretax profits of domestic companies covered in the ministry's quarterly survey plunged 32.0 percent to ¥15.14 trillion ($140 billion) from a year earlier, the sharpest drop since a 32.4 percent fall in the July to September period in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, according to the Finance Ministry.

Profits were down for the fourth consecutive quarter, the ministry said.