Consumer confidence in Tokyo improved in January for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, according to a monthly survey released Thursday by the Cabinet Office.
The index stood at 41.3 in January, down 3.9 points from a year before but up 3.1 points from December, the survey shows. The latest reading is close to the 42.1 registered in June.
Consumer sentiment had deteriorated since September, affected by the mad cow disease outbreak and the October collapse of supermarket chain operator Mycal Corp. as well as the terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon. In December, the index fell to a record low 38.2.
"The accelerated deterioration of consumer confidence appears to have paused," a Cabinet Office official said.
But the official warned against excessive optimism, citing the poor employment and income situations.
In the poll, consumers were asked to evaluate conditions in five areas -- overall livelihood, income, price trends, employment and buying appetite for durable goods -- by choosing one of five assessments -- "improved," "improved somewhat," "remains unchanged," "deteriorated somewhat," or "deteriorated."
The categories that improved in January were employment, up 5.2 points, income, up 3.6 points, and livelihood, up 2.4 points.