According to the preliminary estimates, Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.1 percent in the last quarter of 2009 compared to the previous quarter, while growth in real GDP on an annual basis was registered as 4.6 percent.
In the first quarter of 2009, the country's economy, hit by the global recession had contracted by 3.2 percent. However, the Japanese economy recovered quickly from the downturn and in the second quarter of the year it expanded by 1.3 percent. In the third quarter of last year, no change was recorded in the country's real GDP.
In the last three months of last year, Japanese public investments fell by 1.6 percent while the Japanese export-driven economy's exports of goods and services rose five percent, both compared to the previous quarter.
The data show that Japan in certain regards still retains its title as the world's second largest economy, after the US but ahead of China.
On the other hand, in December 2009, the country's seasonally adjusted industrial production index increased 1.9 percent compared to the previous month. In November 2009, the index in question had increased 2.2 percent month on month.