Service industries expanded for the sixth straight year in fiscal 2004, with the tertiary industry activity index posting the biggest growth in eight years, the government said Tuesday.
Although the index fell in March from February for the second straight monthly decline, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry noted the drop followed a sharp rise in January.
The index -- a measure of demand for services -- gained 2.2 percent in fiscal 2004 from the previous year to an unadjusted 104.8, the highest level on the current gauge, with the base of 100 for 2000, METI said in a preliminary report.
The 2.2 percent rise was the biggest since fiscal 1996, when the tertiary industry index grew 2.6 percent.