Tokyo: Japan’s Finance Ministry Thursday called for close attention to the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake on the country’s economy.

The ministry did not give an assessment to the economy in the Hokuriku region, which was hit hard by the magnitude-7.6 New Year’s Day quake, saying that the disaster’s impact on the region needs to be understood fully.

Economic assessments were kept intact for all of the country’s 10 other regions. The ministry kept its basic view on the overall Japanese economy unchanged, saying that it is recovering moderately.

The report quoted an official of a retailer in Hokuriku as saying, “We are concerned about a decline in consumer confidence due to a mood of self-restraint.”

More people are canceling reservations as they think it is not a right timing for travel, an official of a hot spring resort in the region said.

An official of a chemical company said it will take a certain amount of time before production resumes at a main factory in the Noto Peninsula.

JIJI Press