TOKYO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Japan's service sector sentiment index fell in December, a Cabinet Office survey showed on Tuesday, while a resurgence in coronavirus cases and a state of emergency declared in some areas could hurt business confidence further.

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 slipped 10.1 points from November to 35.5.

The Cabinet Office changed its assessment on the index, saying the economy showed weakness recently due to impact from the coronavirus. (Reporting by Izumi Nakagawa, writing by Kaori Kaneko Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)