TOKYO, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Business sentiment among small and midsize companies in Japan fell to its lowest level in more than three years in April, as concerns mounted over energy and raw material supply disruptions stemming from the Middle East conflict, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) said Thursday.
The diffusion index for smaller firms' current business conditions declined 1.9 points from the previous month to minus 21.9, the weakest reading since September 2022, when it registered minus 23.3, indicating that firms reporting deteriorating conditions continued to outnumber those seeing improvement, according to JCCI's latest survey.
The most notable deterioration in sentiment was seen among construction firms, as well as manufacturers and retailers.
The diffusion index for business conditions outlooks for May through July stood at minus 27.
The JCCI cautioned that close monitoring would be needed to assess whether shortages and price increases in naphtha would persist. ■