16.08.2010 Japan GDP figures show sharp slowing of economic growth
Economic growth in Japan weakened significantly in the last financial quarter, official figures show.
Between April and June this year gross domestic product - the sum of the nation's goods and services - grew 0.1%, much lower than expected.
Analysts said the country's export-led recovery appeared to be faltering as the value of the yen appreciates.
Japan's close rivals, Germany and the US, recently posted far superior GDP figures for the same period.
Germany registered a 2.2% rise, while the US had growth of 2.4%.
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Japan remains one of the wealthiest and most prosperous countries in the world, but the trajectory of its economy has been clear for years.
World Bank figures show that in the first eight years of this century Japan's economy expanded by just 5% while China's grew by 261%.
Japan has relied on exports for growth, but the problem is that the yen has been rising, making Japan less competitive abroad, our correspondent says.
The yen hit a 15-year high against the US dollar last week - adding to worries about the impact on exporters, Kazinform refers to BBC News.
