According to the Cabinet Office's Economy Watchers Survey, which asks working people how they feel about the economy compared to three months ago, the index last month was 48.4, up 2.9 points from the previous month and improving for two consecutive months.
By industry, "restaurant-related" increased by 19.6 points from the previous month to 56.7, and "service-related" such as travel industry increased by 5.7 points from the previous month to 50.3.
According to the Cabinet Office, the number of new coronavirus infections is decreasing, and the number of people and sales are recovering.
A restaurant in the Kanto region said, "The number of guests per group is increasing, and the number of group reservations is increasing, albeit slightly."
In addition, the index, which asks about the outlook for the economy two to three months from now, fell 0.2 points from the previous month to 49.2, the first drop in two months.
Supermarkets in the Kinki region say, ``Prices will be raised widely toward the end of the year, and the impact of the yen's depreciation will start to emerge.
In response to these developments, the Cabinet Office has raised its basic judgment on the current state of the economy, saying that there are signs of a recovery.
On the other hand, as for the future, it said, "There are expectations for a recovery despite concerns about the impact of price increases."