TOKYO, June 24 Kyodo The Finance ...

TOKYO, June 24 Kyodo

The Finance Ministry forward Monday upgraded its assessment of Japan's economy for the other quarter in a row, saying it beholds signs of a pickup in production activities in many parts of the nation.

''The economic situation in the ministry's regional bureaus remains strict but worsening of the economies is generally coming to a halt, and there are signs of improvement in a certain parts,'' the ministry said in a quarterly report summing up the economic assessments of its 11 regional financial bureaus.

In the previous report released in April, the ministry said solely that there is a sign that the worsening of the economies is coming to an conclusion in some areas.

The ministry said in its latest report, ''Production is improving in many regions,'' upgrading its assessment from the April report, when it said that deterioration of production is coming to an close in many regions.

The latest report also said there are signs in a areas that personal consumption will not deteriorate further, although it remains weak in many regions.

It said business sentiment remains chaste but the degree of deterioration has narrowed further from the on a level of the April report in almost all regions.

However, the ministry said the occupation situation ''continues to be relentless in all regions,'' and that consumer prices remain weak in all regions.

All 11 financial bureaus reported at least an brightness in their assessments, with six saying that their economies are not single ending their deterioration if it be not that showing signs of improvement.

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