Japan's economy grows at an annualized 2.1% rate in the first quarter, beating expectations

GDP rose by 2.1% on an annualised basis, compared with Reuters-polled analysts' average estimate of 1.7%, and against the 1.3% in the previous quarter. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the economy expanded 0.5%, compared with estimates of 0.4%, and improving from the 0.3% expansion at the end of 2025.