The economy will probably see a rebound in the second half of this year after a blow that will be determined by the magnitude of electricity disruptions caused by the March 11 disaster, according to a survey of economists.
Banks are split on whether the nation will slip into a recession, with Mizuho Securities Co. saying it is "almost certain" and Barclays Capital not seeing a single quarter of contraction.
Annualized growth will trough at 0.4 percent in the second quarter, the median forecasts of nine economists polled by Bloomberg News show.