Japan's cabinet office releases its monthly economic report
They reaffirm the view that "the economy is recovering at a moderate pace", though there is some weakness persisting - mainly in exports and industrial production. The overall assessment was maintained with a slight tweak to the language as noted above.
With Abe having come out triumphant in recent election results, it pretty much confirms that we'll see a sales tax hike in October regardless of the slight weakness still seen in the Japanese economy this year.
