Japan shows strong Growth20 May 2010 02:40
Breaking News: Japan's economy surged in the first three months of the year, marking the fourth straight quarter of expansion as the country's export-driven recovery gathers pace.
Gross domestic product accelerated by an annualised 4.9 percent in the January-March period, the fastest pace of growth since the second quarter of 2009
The economy grew 1.2 percent compared with the fourth quarter of last year, which saw revised growth of 1.0 percent, slightly higher than an earlier estimate of 0.9 percent.
Exports, particularly to emerging Asian markets such as China, are driving what the International Monetary Fund has called Japan's "tentative" recovery from recession, encouraging companies to increase capital spending.