Japan has a respite and sees its growth accelerates to 0.3% in the second quarter

Relief for Japan. Economic growth has accelerated slightly in the second quarter, providing a breath welcome to the Japanese government in the period of strong doubts about the health of its economy, after months of uncertainty about customs tasks imposed by the United States.

According to a first official estimate published this Friday, August 15 by the Government, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the fourth world economy increased by 0.3% between April and June.

The GDP of the first quarter, which was hired according to the first estimate published in May, which increases the fear of a technical recession, two consecutive contraction rooms, for Japan, experienced a slow growth of 0.1% according to a figure reviewed this Friday.

Better growth than forecasts

The consensus of economists surveyed by the Bloomberg agency had traveled the second quarter with a similar growth of 0.1%. Therefore, this growth in the second quarter is stronger than expected and opens the way to an increase in the Banquera Du Japan (Boj) rate for the end of the year.

The BOJ had pointed out at the end of July the persistence of “great uncertainties” with respect to the commercial war between the archipelago and the United States, now the monetary state. And this despite the agreement ended last month with the Trump government, which plans to recharge Japanese products exported to the United States to 15%, much less than 25% of which the country was threatened.

After the agreement, the BC scored on the end of July its growth forecast for financial year 2025/26, which will end on March 31, 2026, to +0.6%. Wait for the following two exercises to +0.7% and then +1%.

Vertiginous inflation

The country, threatened for a long time by deflation, has faced a sustained increase in consumer prices since 2022. Japanese inflation was systematically or equal to 3% since last December, which culminated with 3.7% excluding fresh products in May, before descending in June to 3.3%.

Given this increase in prices, retired in particular by a duplication of rice for a year, the Japanese have expressed their anger at the polls last month by sanctioning the Democratic Party (PLD) in power, which has now lost its majority in the two cameras of the Japanese Parliament. The pressure to the resignation increases in Prime Minister Shigeru Ihiba, who has so far denied rumors on this issue.