The leaders of Japan's four most powerful business groups on Friday voiced cautious optimism over the nation's economy, predicting an annual growth rate of between 1.5 percent and 2 percent for 2001.
"Japan's economy has been on a recovery trail since 1999 and (the government) has secured growth of 1.5 percent for fiscal 2000. And it could expand further this year," said Takashi Imai, chairman of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren).
Speaking at a news conference, however, Imai joined the other three leaders in pointing to a series of possible downturn risks, including concerns over the U.S. and Asian economies and Japan's plummeting stock market.