Confidence among Japanese manufacturers fell in November for a third straight month to levels unseen in about two-and-a-half years, according to a Reuters poll, reflecting fears that a China-led slowdown in overseas demand may have pushed the economy into recession. The service sector mood also soured as sectors such as retail took a hit from weakness in private consumption, which accounts for about 60 per cent of the economy, underscoring just how tepid economic recovery is in the absence of a growth engine.