Japan's manufacturers were their least pessimistic in four months in August, a Reuters Tankan survey of business sentiment showed on Tuesday, but signaled a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The reading highlights the immense task policymakers face to pull the economy out of its deepest recession on record after the coronavirus pandemic pummeled corporate and household activity.
The poll, which tracks the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan quarterly survey, pointed to a modest recovery, with manufacturers' morale seen as somewhat less negative in the coming months.