Japan consumer confidence rises in September

TOKYO, Oct 11 (AFP): Japanese consumer confidence rose slightly in September after dipping the previous month, reflecting a cautious recovery from the impact of the March earthquake and tsunami, data showed Tuesday. But people still held a generally cautious view of the economy with a strong yen continuing to hurt exporters at a time of global economic uncertainty, according to the Cabinet Office. The consumer confidence survey index rose more than one point to 38.6 in September, slightly improving from 37.0 in August. Readings below 50 mean pessimists outweigh optimists. In April, the index plunged to 33.1 after the earthquake and tsunami that left 20,000 dead or missing and sparked the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl 25 years ago. Consumer confidence was "improving", the Cabinet Office said in the latest report, upgrading its previous view that the recession-mired economy was still in a severe state but was showing a recovery trend. The report came a week after the central bank said Japan's business confidence among large manufacturers improved in September for the first time since the March disasters, but remained below pre-disaster levels.