Japan’s Better-Than-Expected Growth Keeps Early Poll on Table
- Consumption, business spending pushed up growth last quarter
- Revised figures show Japan had recession at end of last year
The world’s third largest economy faces both headwinds and tailwinds as it aims to gain more momentum toward a robust post-pandemic recovery.
Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japan’s economy expanded at a faster pace than expected as a further easing of pandemic regulations boosted consumption, an outcome that will likely keep speculation simmering of a possible early election and potential central bank policy change.
Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized pace of 1.6% in the first three months of the year, exceeding analyst expectations, Cabinet Office data showed Wednesday. A revision of earlier figures also showed Japan went through a technical recession at the end of last year.