LINDA WERTHEIMER, Host: NPR's business news starts with good news for the Japanese economy.</s>LINDA WERTHEIMER, Host: Japan's economic growth for the last quarter exceeded expectations. It jumped by 4.6 percent at an annual rate. The growth was helped by demand for the country's exports and by government stimulus efforts. The report helped ease concerns about Japan's economy. The economy contracted by about 5 percent last year, and there were concerns that Japan was headed for a double dip recession.
Japan's economy has grown more than expected in the fourth quarter, fueled by growing demand for exports. The government said Monday that real gross domestic product grew at an annual pace of 4.6 percent in the October-December period, beating even the most bullish of predictions.