Japan's economy contracted between July and September, official data showed
Monday, reversing two previous quarters of growth and underscoring fears that
its post-disaster recovery has stalled.
Factory output in the
world's third-largest economy has slowed and Japan recorded its worst September
trade figures in more than 30 years as weakness in Europe, a strong yen and a
territorial dispute with China hit exports.
The Cabinet Office
said the economy of Japan, hammered by last year's quake-tsunami disaster,
shrank 0.9 percent in the September quarter from the previous three months, a
result largely in line with market expectations.
On an annualised
basis -- which shows how the quarterly data would look if it were maintained for
a full year -- the economy contracted 3.5 percent, it said, as exports slipped
and demand among Japanese consumers also slowed.
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