The Japanese government on Thursday upgraded its assessment of the economy for the first time in 15 months, citing a modest rebound in private consumption. In its monthly report for August, the Cabinet Office described the economy as “recovering at a moderate pace, although it appears to be pausing in part.” The government used the same expression for the sixth straight month through July that the world’s fourth-largest economy is “recovering at a moderate pace, although it recently appears to be pausing.” The upward revision came after a 3.1 percent growth in Japan’s real gross domestic produ…