Japan’s economy is growing, but political uncertainty is among risks

FILE – People walk along a pedestrian crossing at Ginza shopping street in Tokyo, on March 31, 2023, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

TOKYO — Japan’s economy grew at an annual rate of 2.9%, slower than the earlier report for 3.1% growth, in the April-June period, boosted by better wages and spending, revised government data showed Monday.

That shows clear risks remain, including U.S. economic growth, which greatly affects export-reliant Japan. Political uncertainty in Japan is another risk as the ruling party picks a new leader.

About a dozen candidates are seeking to succeed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as head of the Liberal Democratic Party. The winner of its Sept. 27 vote is a near-certainty to be the next prime minister since the party controls parliament.

The world’s fourth-largest economy grew 0.7% in the fiscal first quarter, according to the Cabinet Office, rebounding from the contraction in the previous quarter.

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Seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, or GDP, measures the value of a nation’s products and services. The annual rate shows how much the economy would have grown or contracted, if the quarterly rate continued for a year.

Monday’s GDP data showed domestic demand grew a robust 3.0% from the previous quarter on the back of healthy household consumption and private sector investments, as well as government investments. Exports grew a booming 6.1%, even better than the earlier reading for 5.9% growth.

Japan’s GDP shrank 0.6% in January-March on quarter, after eking out 0.1% growth in October-December last year.

The weakening of Japan’s economic clout is a pressing concern for a nation, which the IMF projects will slide into fifth place, after the U.S., China, Germany and India in coming years at the current rate.