Japan: Business sentiment remains positive but dips in Q1
Business sentiment among large manufacturers—according to the Bank of Japan’s closely watched Tankan survey—came in at plus 14 in Q1, down from plus 18 in Q4. Furthermore, confidence among large non-manufacturing firms was stable at 9 in Q1. As such, the sentiment values remained above the zero-threshold separating pessimism from optimism regarding current business conditions.
Regarding the outlook, sentiment among large manufacturers regarding business conditions in Q2 2022 was plus 9, while sentiment among large non-manufacturing firms was also lower relative to Q1 at 7.