BOJ raises assessment for all 9 regions of Japan

TOKYO, July 5 (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan raised its assessment for all of Japan's nine regional economies in a quarterly report on Thursday as robust private consumption and spending for rebuilding from last year's earthquake and tsunami underpinned growth.

It was the first time since October 2009 that the central bank had raised its assessment for all nine regions.

"Many regions said the economy has been recovering moderately or picking up," the central bank said in the report, which was issued at its meeting of regional branch managers.

In a speech to the meeting, BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said Japan's economy is headed for a moderate recovery but warned that Europe's debt crisis remained the biggest risk to its outlook.