Japan’s economy grew 0.5 per cent in first quarter: data

Japanese GDP expanded 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year, official data showed yesterday, in a better-than-expected result for the world’s third-largest economy. It was the second successive expansion for the Japanese economy after growth of 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter of last year and defied gloomy expectations by analysts who predicted a small decline at the start of 2019.

The latest data was being closely watched amid speculation Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government could postpone a planned sales tax hike for the third time if the GDP growth figure were very weak. Net exports contributed strongly to the latest growth figures but only because the fall in imports outweighed a decline in exports, the Cabinet Office said.

The latest indication of Japan’s economic health comes amid uncertainty over the global economy, including USled trade tensions, Brexit and other factors.