Exports, consumer spending spur 1.4% growth in GDP

[Hachiko]

The economy expanded at a better-than-expected 1.4 percent in real terms in the January-March quarter, extending its growth streak to an eighth straight quarter, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday.
In announcing the preliminary data on first-quarter gross domestic product, officials said the growth was buoyed by export-driven corporate investment and improving consumer sentiment.

The 1.4 percent quarterly rise in GDP -- the value of goods and services produced in a country -- translates into a 5.6 percent annual expansion.

Japan Times