Sentiment among Japan's large manufacturers improved to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter as companies planned to increase capital expenditure this year, suggesting the export-reliant economy was benefiting from a solid recovery in global demand.
Confidence among big nonmanufacturers also recovered from three months ago, underscoring the fading strains from the coronavirus pandemic, a central bank survey showed on Thursday.
The data offers some relief for policymakers striving to revitalize the pandemic-hit economy as a fourth wave of infections raises uncertainty about the outlook.