Japan economy logs best growth in three years

TOKYO: Japan's economy put in its best performance in three years during 2013, expanding by 1.6% as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth blitz rippled through the world's number-three economy.

The figures published Monday showed that, after leading G7 nations in the first half of the year, Japan's economy expanded just 0.3% in the October-December quarter, less than the 0.7% expansion that economists had expected, according to a survey by the leading Nikkei business daily.