The government kept its economic assessment for September, released Thursday, unchanged for the third straight month, saying activity was continuing to show signs of "picking up" from the slump triggered by the novel coronavirus.
Upticks in exports and production are making up for a slowing recovery in consumption, the Cabinet Office said in its latest monthly report.
"The Japanese economy is still in a severe situation due to the novel coronavirus," but has been "showing movements of picking up recently," it said, repeating the wording used in the July and August assessments.