Japanese business sentiment worsens as recession looms

TOKYO: A slowdown in China and weakness at home dented Japanese firms’ confidence last quarter, a central bank report showed on Thursday, as tepid data suggest the world’s third-largest economy has slipped into recession.

The disappointing Tankan survey supplied the latest evidence that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s growth blitz, dubbed Abenomics, was faltering, as speculation grows that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) would have to expand its massive asset-buying plan as early as this month.