结束28年来最长增长期 日本一季度经济萎缩

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.

根据日本政府公布的数据显示，由于私人消费和商业投资疲软，2018年前三个月日本的经济出现萎缩，结束了该国28年来最长的一轮连续增长。

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，这个世界第三大经济体的GDP换算年率萎缩了0.6%，这是自2015年第四季度以来日本经济首次出现萎缩；2017年第四季度的经济增速被修正至增长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，在日本央行激进的货币宽松政策下，日本经济似乎终于摆脱了数十年来经济停滞不前的局面。

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月份的大雪天气让很多人足不出户，约占GDP的60%的私人消费在第一季度持平，而生鲜食品和能源价格的上涨让消费者不愿消费。

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

据Capital Economics公司的高级日本经济学家Marcel估测，今年日本的年经济增长速度将从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.

但是日本的政府官员和分析人士则预计，当前增速下降只是暂时的。一些分析人士认为，最快在第二季度，日本经济就有望出现反弹。

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

日本经济产业大臣茂木敏充称：“我们认为经济正在稳健复苏的观点没有改变。”