The Bank of Japan published results from its 105th survey of public views, indicating that perceptions of current economic conditions and household circumstances have improved compared with late 2025, while respondents continued to report widespread price increases and expect further rises over the next year. The survey covered individuals in Japan aged 20 and over, using a stratified two-stage random sample of 4,000 people, with 2,030 valid responses collected by mail or online between February 4 and March 9, 2026. The diffusion index for current economic conditions rose to -45.5 (6.3% “improved” minus 51.8% “worsened”), and the one-year outlook diffusion index was -18.5 (14.3% “improve” minus 32.8% “worsen”). For household circumstances, the diffusion index improved to -47.6. On prices, 95.0% reported that prices had risen versus one year earlier (68.3% “up significantly” and 26.7% “up slightly”), and 83.7% expected prices to rise over the next year. Awareness measures showed 27.1% knew that price stability is one of the Bank’s objectives and 21.3% knew about the 2% price stability target, while confidence responses included 17.3% “confident” and 34.0% “somewhat confident.”
Bank of Japan 2026-04-20
Bank of Japan releases March 2026 public opinion survey showing improved sentiment and continued expectations of price rises
The Bank of Japan published results from its 105th survey of public views, showing improved perceptions of current economic conditions and household circumstances compared with late 2025, although respondents continued to report widespread price increases and expect further rises over the next year. The diffusion index for current economic conditions rose to -45.5 and the one-year outlook to -18.5, while 95.0% reported prices had risen versus a year earlier and 83.7% expected further increases.