TOKYO — Japan emerged from recession at the end of 2014, government data showed on Monday, though the economic growth — the country’s first since early last year — was weaker than experts had forecast.
In a preliminary report, the Cabinet Office said gross domestic product expanded at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent in the quarter through December. The economy had contracted in each of the two previous quarters, a downturn widely blamed on higher taxes.
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Consumer spending and business investment grew fractionally in the quarter to December, Monday’s report showed, while exports increased at their fastest pace since early 2014. But housing investment continued a decline that began after the tax increase in April.
As growth rates under Mr. Abe have been volatile, an important question is how long the latest resurgence will last. Many economists are forecasting that growth will settle into a more modest but still positive trend, expanding perhaps 1.5 or 2 percent this year and next.
