Japan's economy watchers' assessment of current conditions improved in March, while outlook weakened more than expected, survey data showed Tuesday.
The current conditions index rose to 57.9 in March from 53 in February, the Economy Watchers Survey from the Cabinet Office said. The score was forecast to improve marginally to 53.3.
Meanwhile, the outlook index fell sharply to 34.7 from 40 in February. The reading was below the expected level of 39.5.
The survey confirms that the outlook for the second quarter remains dire, Marcel Thieliant, a Singapore-based Japan economist at Capital Economics said.
The economist said never before in the history of the survey has the outlook been more pessimistic relative to the current situation than last month, underlining that economic activity will likely weaken abruptly in the second quarter.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.