Japanese economy contracts

JAPAN’S economy shrank 0.4% in the three months to September, official data showed yesterday, as new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government prepares a major stimulus package.

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The quarter-on-quarter reading for gross domestic product beat market expectations of minus 0.6% but was the first contraction since the first quarter of 2024.

The preliminary, seasonally adjusted figure follows growth of 0.6 percent - revised upwards from an earlier reading of plus 0.5% - for the April to June quarter.

Takaichi became Japan's first woman prime minister in October and has tasked her government with putting together a new stimulus package.