Vehicles are parked for export at a Yokohama port, near Tokyo on Aug. 1, 2025. (Takuto Kaneko/Kyodo News via AP, File)
\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japan’s economy grew an annual rate of 1.1% in the April-June quarter even as private consumption stayed flat and the growth of exports declined, according to government data released Monday.
\n\nJapan ’s real GDP, or gross domestic product, the sum value of nation’s goods and services, grew at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.3% from the first quarter to second quarter of this 2026, according to Cabinet Office data.
\n\nThe annualized rate shows what the growth rate would have been if it had continued for a whole year. It was 2.1% in the January-March period.
\n\nPrivate spending dipped 1.2% in April-June compared to January-March, while exports grew 0.5%.
\n\nExports for the latest period were driven by the global demand for Japanese autos and semiconductors. Japan is home for Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and other top automakers.
\n\nGlobal demand for computer chips being powered by interest in AI, helping to support Japan’s exports.
\n\nQuarterly GDP growth was lower than what analysts had expected. The Japanese economy has been hurt by the war in Iran, which…
Original source: https://apnews.com/business
