Tsunami pushes Japan into recession

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March has pushed the country back into recession, statistics have revealed. The world's third largest economy shrunk by 0.9 per cent in the first three months of the year, an annual contraction rate of 3.7 per cent.

A fall in consumption and exports has been singled out as the cause of the slump by analysts. Japan's economy has contracted in successive quarters, meaning it is now officially in recession for the first time since emerging from the global financial crisis in 2009.

"Japan's economy is expected to remain weak for the time being," Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano said, adding that "the economy has the strength to bounce back".

Read a full report at BBC News. ·