The economy has worsened in eight of the country's nine regions since January as costlier energy and raw materials hurt growth, the Bank of Japan said Friday.
"Growth of the economy as a whole was slowing recently, mainly due to the effects of high energy and materials prices, although there were some regional differences," the BOJ said in its quarterly regional report.
The central bank said conditions deteriorated in all areas except Hokkaido, which already has the most severe assessment. The cut was the most widespread since the bank began compiling the report in April 2005.
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