Japan, manufacture, Komatsu,--Japan’s Manufacturers Optimistic for Fourth Quarter

Japan’s large manufacturers said business conditions improved from three months ago, signaling the nation’s export-led recovery is gaining traction even as Europe’s debt woes roil global financial markets. Sentiment was 10 points compared with 4.3 points last quarter, the government said in a report in Tokyo today. Companies said they plan to increase spending on plant and equipment by 9.7 percent this fiscal year, compared with the 5.5 percent cutbacks projected three months ago. Japan’s economy has so far withstood the European sovereign debt crisis, with growth accelerating last quarter on shipments to Asia. Exporters from Nissan Motor Co. to Komatsu Ltd. are anticipating higher profit as global demand recovers.