TOKYO—Nearly half of the Japanese companies see the weak yen as bad for their business, a private survey showed on Tuesday, suggesting the currency’s recent sharp decline is hurting business sentiment and clouding the economic outlook.
The yen’s decline to a 24-year low against the dollar is inflating the cost of raw material imports, hurting retailers and households, and creating a headache for politicians facing an upper house election next month.
When asked how the yen’s decline to around 130 per dollar was affecting their business, 46.7 percent of companies polled said the impact was negative, the survey by Tokyo Shoko Research showed….