TOKYO, May 14 (Reuters) - The Japanese government is expected to upgrade its economic assessment in May for the first time in over three years as exports and output show signs of bottoming out, the Asahi newspaper reported on Thursday.
In a monthly report due out later this month, the government will likely describe the nation's economic deterioration as slowing, the paper said without citing sources.
In the previous month's report, the government said the economy continued to worsen sharply and was in a severe state.
Japanese exports in March were almost half the levels of a year earlier but rose on a seasonally adjusted basis from February, the first monthly pickup since May last year, trade balance data showed last month.
Japan is mired in its worst recession since World War Two but exports and output have shown some signs of recovery, adding to hopes the worldwide slump may be nearing a bottom. (Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chris Gallagher)