According to the Japanese government’s Business Outlook Survey, conditions for all large corporations improved notably from 3.3 to 9.6 in Q4. That’s the second quarter of positive reading. Conditions for large non-manufacturing jumped sharply from 1.5 to 10.4. Meanwhile, conditions for large manufacturers improved slightly from 7.0 to 7.9.
Conditions for mid-sized companies also rose sharply from 0.2 to 10.7. Conditions for small companies rose from -18.0 to -3.0, but stayed negative for the 31st successive quarter.
“With the severe situation caused by the impact of virus infections gradually easing, the survey results showed that (the economy) has been picking up, although some fields remain weak,” a government official told reporters.