Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Japan's economy grew ever so slightly during the fourth quarter of 2025, government data showed Monday, narrowly avoiding a second straight quarter of contraction that would have met the common definition of a technical recession.
Preliminary estimates from Japan's Cabinet Office show real gross domestic product rose 0.1% in the October-December quarter from the previous quarter, or 0.2% on an annualized basis.
Nominal GDP increased 0.6% quarter on quarter, or about 2.2% annualized, and the data show real GDP rose 1.1% in calendar-year 2025.
In real terms, domestic demand and net exports each contributed 0.0 percentage points to growth. Private consumption edged up 0.1% for an annualized 0.4%, while exports fell 0.3%, for a -1.1% annualized rate.
The report also showed an increase in economy-wide prices as measured by GDP deflators, which helps explain why nominal growth outpaced real growth.
