結束28年來最長增長期 日本一季度經濟萎縮

Japan's economy contracted in the first three Months of 2018 due to weak private consumption and business investment, putting the brakes on the nation's longest growth streak in 28 years, government data showed.

根據日本政府公佈的數據顯示，由於私人消費和商業投資疲軟，2018年前三個月日本的經濟出現萎縮，結束了該國28年來最長的一輪連續增長。

The world's third-largest economy shrank at an annualized pace of 0.6% in the January-March period, compared with revised 0.6% growth in the final quarter of 2017. The contraction was the first since the final quarter of 2015.

今年1-3月份，這個世界第三大經濟體的GDP換算年率萎縮了0.6%，這是自2015年第四季度以來日本經濟首次出現萎縮；2017年第四季度的經濟增速被修正至增長0.6%。

It comes as the Japanese economy seemed to have finally escaped decades of stagnation, helped by economic policies including the Bank of Japan's aggressive monetary easing.

此前，在日本央行激進的貨幣寬鬆政策下，日本經濟似乎終於擺脫了數十年來經濟停滯不前的局面。

Private consumption, which accounts for about 60% of GDP, stayed flat in the latest quarter after heavy snow in January and February caused people to stay home, while higher fresh-food and energy prices made consumers reluctant to spend.

因1、2月份的大雪天氣讓很多人足不出戶，約佔GDP的60%的私人消費在第一季度持平，而生鮮食品和能源價格的上漲讓消費者不願消費。

Capital Economics senior Japan economist Marcel expects annual growth to slow to 1.2% this year from 1.7% in 2017.

據Capital Economics公司的高級日本經濟學家Marcel估測，今年日本的年經濟增長速度將從2017年的1.7%下降到1.2%。

Still, government officials and analysts expect the decline to be temporary. Some analysts expect the economy to rebound as soon as this current April-June quarter.

但是日本的政府官員和分析人士則預計，當前增速下降只是暫時的。一些分析人士認爲，最快在第二季度，日本經濟就有望出現反彈。

"There is no change in our view that the economy is recovering moderately," Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said.

日本經濟產業大臣茂木敏充稱：“我們認爲經濟正在穩健復甦的觀點沒有改變。”