These are the 'final' PMIs for the month, preliminary and priors can be found here:

Service sector continues to disappoint ion Japan.

  • activity and new orders fell again
  • employment also dropped

IHS Markit on the results:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic continued to hang over the Japanese service sector in August, halting previous momentum towards recovery amid fragile customer demand and a considerable degree of uncertainty.
  • This uncertainty was evident in company predictions for output over the coming year, which on balance came out as broadly neutral.
  • With little sign of a strong rebound and a lack of clarity as to how things will progress, caution was again evident with respect to hiring decisions.
  • Services saw output fall more quickly than manufacturing for the first time since May, suggesting that the sector is more impacted by the lingering effects of the pandemic on demand. Any return to growth will likely depend on confidence among companies and customers alike that the virus has been brought under control.

more to come