TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - The Ministry of Finance said the first quarter diffusion index of leading companies' business sentiment stood at plus 2.0, compared with a revised plus 5.9 in the fourth quarter.
Initially the fourth quarter diffusion index was reported as plus 6.3.
The ministry gave the following breakdown of first quarter indices, compared with the previous quarter:
Total - plus 2.0 vs revised plus 5.9
Manufacturers - plus 4.1 vs revised plus 10.1
Non-manufacturers - plus 0.6 vs revised plus 3.3

It also provided the following forecasts for the second and third quarters respectively:
Total - plus 4.9, plus 8.9
Manufacturers - plus 4.1, plus 10.0
Non-manufacturers - plus 5.4, plus 8.1

In December, the ministry forecast made the following forecasts for the first and second quarters:
Total - plus 11.1, plus 11.1
Manufacturers - plus 14.9, plus 13.4
Non-manufacturers - plus 8.6, plus 9.6