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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Japan's economy in record plunge | Japan's economy in record plunge |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Japan's economy has seen its worst ever quarterly performance, with GDP shrinking 4% in the first three months of 2009. | Japan's economy has seen its worst ever quarterly performance, with GDP shrinking 4% in the first three months of 2009. |
| The contraction is the fourth in succession, following a 3.8% drop in October to December. | The contraction is the fourth in succession, following a 3.8% drop in October to December. |
| But economists are predicting modest growth in the coming months after a small rise in production in March. | But economists are predicting modest growth in the coming months after a small rise in production in March. |
| The world's second biggest economy, which depends heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global downturn. | The world's second biggest economy, which depends heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global downturn. |
| The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says people around the world are buying fewer of the cars and electronic gadgets that Japan is renowned for. | |
| The latest contraction is the biggest since records began in 1955. | |
| It comes at an annualised rate of 15.2%, compared with a 6.1% fall in the US over the same period. |