Japan's service sector sentiment index rose in May, a Cabinet Office survey showed on Monday, although the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on firms' business confidence.

The survey of workers such as taxi drivers, hotel workers and restaurant staff - called "economy watchers" for their proximity to consumer and retail trends - showed their confidence about current economic conditions rose 7.6 points to 15.5 from a record low marked in April.

(Reporting by Izumi Nakagawa and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)