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TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Japan's index of coincident economic indicators rose a preliminary 0.4 point in February from January, the Cabinet Office said on Wednesday, helped by a moderate economic recovery for the month, but deterioration is expected ahead due to a devastating earthquake and tsunami last month and a prolonged nuclear crisis.
The government said the coincident index suggested the economy was improving. Previously, the government said the index indicated the economy was at a standstill but showed signs of improvement.
The index of leading economic indicators, compiled using data such as the number of job offers and consumer sentiment and a gauge of the economy a few months ahead, rose 2.7 points from January.
Details were as follows:
(month-on-month changes in points) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEB JAN DEC Leading Index +2.7 +1.3 +0.6 Coincident Index +0.4 +2.4 +1.2 Lagging Index +2.3 -0.3 +0.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To view full tables, click on the Cabinet Office's website at http://www.esri.cao.go.jp/en/stat/di/di-e.html (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Japan Feb coincident indicator index up 0.4 point
