Japan Unexpectedly Enters Recession as Abe Weighs Tax: Economy

Japan unexpectedly sank into a recession last quarter as the world’s third-largest economy struggled to shake off the impact of an April sales-tax boost, raising the odds of a delay in a second bump in the levy.

Gross domestic product shrank an annualized 1.6 percent in the three months through September, a second straight drop -- matching the textbook definition of a recession. Unadjusted for price changes, the economy contracted an annualized 3 percent, the Cabinet Office said. Japanese stocks slumped.