Japan's economy slipped back into recession on Wednesday when newly released data showed its gross domestic product had contracted for three consecutive quarters, bringing an official end to the country's three-year recovery.
Preliminary figures from the Cabinet Office showed GDP shrank 0.1 per cent between October and December 2004. Revised figures showed the contraction began nine months ago, with growth down 0.3 per cent July-September and 0.2 per cent April-June. A recession is normally defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
That last point isn't exactly true, of course, or at least not in the NBER business cycle dating sense. But that's a picky point. I wouldn't dispute the central point.
UPDATE: And there is this, at Angry Bear. (Thanks to pgl.)