The results of the latest Reuters monthly corporate survey, headline points:

  • 56 pct of Japan firms see FY2019 domestic capex flat; 30 pct see it rising; 14 pct see it falling
  • 67 pct see FY2019 overseas capex flat; 19 pct see it up; 15 pct see it down
  • 84 pct project 2019 wage hikes to undershoot previous year's 2.07 pct
  • 50 pct see work-style reform drive to push up personnel costs in fy2019; 45 pct see them flat

Firms citing:

  • anxiety over upcoming sales tax hike
  • global trade frictions
  • slump in demand may have already started

More from Reuters:

  • Overseas orders for Japanese machinery posted their biggest fall in more than a decade in December
  • manufacturers expect orders to sink further
  • "We have no choice but to become cautious when we take into account the global slowdown," a manager of a transport equipment manufacturer said in the survey.
  • "There's growing uncertainty in our overseas outlook due to the U.S.-China trade war and Brexit," a transportation firm manager wrote.