( dpa ) - Business sentiment among Japan's major manufacturers worsened in the January-March period compared to the previous quarter, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday, citing its quarterly Tankan survey.
It was the second consecutive quarter that the index declined.
Confidence among large manufacturers fell to 11 in the three months through March from the previous period of 19, while sentiment among major non-manufacturers dropped to 12 from 16.
The diffusion index shows the percentage of companies reporting favorable business conditions minus that of those reporting unfavorable conditions.