Reuters reports that Japan's government maintained its economic assessment for a fourth straight month in August but offered a slightly bleaker view on the outlook than in July.

The August report warned of the need to pay attention to "heightening downside risk caused by the pandemic." That compared with the previous month's view that said the government needed to be vigilant to the "impact" of the pandemic.

The government kept its assessment unchanged for most parts of the economy including consumer spending, which it described as weak mainly due to the services sector.

Reflecting sluggish household demand for goods including those shipped from overseas, the government cut its assessment on imports for the first time in 10 months.

But it revised up its view on corporate profits for the first time in six months due to solid second-quarter earnings among manufacturers.