Consumer sentiment in Japan fell in December, down for the first time in four months, amid growing fears about the omicron variant of the coronaviruses, a government survey showed Wednesday.
In the Cabinet Office survey conducted from December 7 to 20, the seasonally adjusted index measuring sentiment among households with two or more members fell 0.1 points from the previous month to 39.1.
An official from the government agency said the overseas spread of the omicron variant contributed to anxiety while the domestic infection situation was relatively calm.
Consumer sentiment is picking up, according to the agency.
The sentiment index's four components increased the number of overall livelihood and income growth, while the number for employment fell. The indicator for people's willingness to buy durable goods was unchanged.
The survey also showed that the proportion of respondents who believe that prices will be higher in a year's time increased by 0.9 percentage point to 88.5%, the highest level since April 2015. The result can be attributed to a spate of food price hikes.