TOKYO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers improved to 14 in September from 13 three months earlier, following a deal to lower U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods, the Bank of Japan's Tankan survey showed Wednesday.
The latest sentiment index measuring confidence among companies such as those in the auto and electronics sectors was up for the second consecutive quarter, but uncertainties persist even after Japan and the United States struck the trade deal, according to the central bank's quarterly survey.
The Tankan index represents the percentage of companies reporting good business conditions minus those reporting the opposite.
Meanwhile, the reading for large non-manufacturers, including the service sector, remained unchanged from the previous survey in June at 34.
Looking ahead to the next three-month period, both manufacturers and non-manufacturers are projected to be less optimistic, with their indexes worsening to 12 and 28, respectively, the survey showed.
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) surveyed 8,870 firms, of which 99.4 percent responded between Aug. 27 and Sept. 30. ■
