TOKYO -- Consumer demand leading up to next month's consumption tax hike has been generally in line with Japanese executives' expectations, according to a survey compiled by The Nikkei on Saturday.
Of the 148 business leaders who responded, 39.9% said the last-minute surge in demand has been roughly within the scope of their assumptions. Otherwise, 25.7% said they have seen no out-of-the-ordinary demand, 10.8% said the demand has been slightly greater than expected and 1.4% said it has significantly surpassed their predictions.
