日本１月至３月ＧＤＰ 年率上升５．９％

Last month the NHK News on-line reported the following:

１～３月ＧＤＰ 年率プラス５．９％

5月15日 9時00分

ことし１月から３月までのＧＤＰ＝国内総生産は、消費税率引き上げ前の駆け込み需要で個人消費が好調だったことなどから、前の３か月間と比べ実質でプラス１．５％、年率に換算してプラス５．９％と大幅に伸び、６期連続のプラスとなりました。

内閣府が発表した、ことし１月から３月までのＧＤＰの伸び率の速報値は、物価の変動を除いた実質で、前の３か月と比べてプラス１．５％と６期連続のプラスとなりました。
これを年率に換算しますとプラス５．９％となり、伸び率が０．３％だった前の期に比べて大幅に拡大しました。
主な項目では、個人消費が消費税率引き上げ前の駆け込み需要で、自動車や家電製品を中心に幅広い品目で大きく伸び、２．１％のプラスとなりました。
また、企業の設備投資は、業績の改善を背景に４．９％のプラス、住宅投資も３．１％のプラスとなりました。
一方、外需は、原油などのエネルギーの輸入や駆け込み需要に伴う製品や部品の輸入が大きく増え、輸出の増加を上回ったことから、ＧＤＰを０．３％押し下げました。

(試譯文)

Because personal consumption was high during the buying rush before an increase in consumption tax, the GDP: the Gross Domestic Product from January to March this year, compared with the previous three months, was a 1.5% increase in real terms. When converted into the annual rate it was a sharp increase of going up by 5.9%, being a plus in six consecutive terms.

The Cabinet Office announced the preliminary GDP growth rate figures for this year from January to March. The actual figure after taking out price changing factors would be a 1.5% plus. It was a plus for six consecutive terms when compared with figures of the previous three months.

When this was converted into the annual rate, it became a plus 5.9%, and compared with the previous period of 0.3%, it was a sharp expansion.

As for the main items, due to the buying rush before a raise in consumption tax, personal consumption had greatly expanded in a wide range of items centering on cars and home electronics and thus led to a 2.1% plus.

Moreover, against the background of improvements in business, capital investment by enterprises went up by 4.9% and housing investment was a 3.1% plus too.

On the other hand, in foreign demand, since the import of products and parts accompanying the buying rush, together with the import of energies such as crude oil had increased greatly and exceeded the increase in export, the GDP was pulled down by 0.3%.

It seems that Japan’s economic condition is doing just fine.