The nation's economy grew 1.9 percent in the January-March quarter — an annualized rate of 7.9 percent — breaking a string of five consecutive quarters of contraction, the Economic Planning Agency said Thursday.
The growth in the gross domestic product surpassed most private forecasts, and Taichi Sakaiya, head of the EPA, said that the economy's decline has stopped.
Still, Sakaiya remained cautious and would not say that the quarter's results herald the beginning of a recovery, adding that joblessness will continue to be the biggest problem ahead.