From the January survey

  • manufacturers' sentiment index +18 vs December's +23
  • third consecutive monthly fall for the manufacturers' sentiment index
  • now at a 2 year low
  • service-sector index +31 in Jan, same as in December

More:

  • sentiment at both manufacturers and the service sector was seen deteriorating further in the coming three months
  • exporters complained about lack of demand in China and the United States and voiced concerns about the trade war between Japan's two major trading partners. "Global demand is becoming markedly sluggish," a manager at a transport equipment maker wrote in the survey. "The United States has not been performing well since the start of this fiscal year, but other countries like China, India and Mexico are slowing down as well in the latter half."
  • service-sector index held steady at 31 in January reflecting firmness in private consumption, which accounts for about 60 percent of the economy.
  • The service-sector index was seen slipping to 27 in April.

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Reuters monthly poll seeks to track the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) tankan quarterly survey

  • poll of 480 large- and mid-sized companies (not all respond)
  • conducted Jan. 7-16