Japan service sector sentiment improves in Nov as COVID-19 cases ease

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's service sector sentiment index rose 0.8 point to 56.3 in November to mark the third straight month of increase, a Cabinet Office survey showed on Wednesday, as COVID-19 cases remained low and face-to-face services saw consumers returning.

The index, which hit the highest level in nearly eight years, is based on a survey of workers such as taxi drivers, hotel workers and restaurant staff who are called "economy watchers" for their proximity to consumer and retail trends.

(Reporting by Kentaro Sugiyama; Writing by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)