The Cabinet Office reported today in the preliminary figures for fourth quarter GDP growth that the country’s gross domestic product increased to 0.9% from 0.8% in the third quarter.

In real terms, the domestic market contributed 0.5%, while exports contributed 0.4% and in nominal terms the domestic market contributed 0.2% and net exports added 0.5%.

According to the Cabinet Office, private consumption rose to 0.2% from 0.1% in the previous quarter in real terms and advanced 0.4% from zero growth in nominal terms in the third quarter. Household consumption also rose by the same figures both in real and nominal terms.

Fourth quarter private residential investment declined in real terms to 9% from 8.3% decline in the earlier quarter. Similarly, in nominal terms investment in the sector fell to 9.3% from a decline of 8.2%.

Conversely, non-residential real investment rose to 2.9% in the fourth quarter from 1.1% in the third quarter, while it jumped in nominal terms to 2.7% from 1.3% from the previous quarter.

Public demand also rose as well in the three months to December from 0.1% to 0.8% in real terms and gained 0.3% from 0.2% in nominal terms.

Furthermore, declines in public investment slowed to a loss of 0.7% from a fall of 1.9% in the quarter earlier period in real terms. In nominal terms, it also narrowed to a loss of 0.4% from a loss of 1.6%.

Exports in the fourth quarter were unchanged at 2.9% in real terms, but fell marginally to 1.7% from 2% a quarter ago in nominal terms.

Imports increased to 0.5% in real terms from a decline of 0.1% in the previous quarter and gained 3.5% from 0.1% in the previous quarter in nominal terms.

Available at:

http://www.esri.cao.go.jp/en/sna/qe074/pointe.pdf