TOKYO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Sentiment among Japan's big manufacturers improved for the sixth successive quarter at a faster pace than expected, the Bank of Japan said in a quarterly report on Wednesday.

The central bank's closely watched tankan survey revealed that whilst companies are somewhat circumspect about their future due to the strength of the yen and global economic instability, a recovery in exports is gradually lifting corporate spending and aiding the nation's sluggish export-led recovery.

The headline diffusion index (DI) for big manufacturers' sentiment rose to 8 in September, up for a sixth straight quarter and marking the best reading since March 2008, the survey showed on Wednesday.

The DI in the recording period beat median market expectations of 6. The reading in the previous survey in June stood at just 1.

The figure is derived from the percentage of companies saying business conditions are good minus those saying conditions are bad.

Regarding sentiment among large non-manufacturers, the bank said confidence improved to 2 in September from a reading of minus 5 in June -- far better than economists' forecast of minus 2.
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