Business confidence in Japan remained virtually unchanged in the October-December period, edging up by just a point over the previous quarter as concerns over the economy and unemployment continued to weigh heavily on managers' minds, according to a survey released by the government Tuesday.
The Business Survey Index improved to minus 60 in the reporting quarter from minus 61 in the July-September period, the Cabinet Office said.
"There are signs the decline in business sentiment could stop, though the trend is still in the direction of deterioration," Cabinet Office economist Yoshihiko Senoo said. "The outlook also suggests a downward trend, so we see a need to monitor future movements carefully."