Meantime, employment growth eased, while backlogs of work decreased at a softer rate and delivery time pointed to a weaker improvement.
Concurrently, sentiment eased yet remained at the joint-second highest level seen since the start of 2022.
Japan Services PMI edged down to 53.9 in July 2023 from a final of 54.0 a month earlier, preliminary data showed.
While marking the 11th straight month of growth in the services sector, the latest result was the lowest print since January, with the expansion in incoming business being modest, and the slowest recorded for six months.
Japan Composite PMI was 52.1 in July 2023, unchanged from a final 52.1 in the prior month, flash data showed.
This was the seventh straight month of growth in private sector activity but remained at the softest pace since February amid lingering global economic uncertainty, with the services sector growing for the 11th straight month while manufacturing activity contracted for the sixth time so far this year.
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