Tokyo

JAPAN'S economy seems finally to have hit a winning streak after years of stop-go growth punctuated by occasional recessions. It grew at an annualised rate of 2.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, expanding for a fifth consecutive quarter - the longest growth period in eleven years.

On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the world's third largest economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 0.5 per cent in inflation-adjusted terms during the first three months of this year compared to the final quarter of 2016.