Japan's economic output increased by 0.3 percent in the third quarter of the year, marking the longest period of expansion in over 16 years.

However, the figure represented a slowdown from the previous quarter where gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6 percent as a recovery in private consumption could not maintain its momentum.

Domestic consumption accounts for roughly 60 percent of Japan's GDP and fell by 0.2 percent in the July-to-September period, the Cabinet Office reported Wednesday.

More shipments abroad

"On average, the Japanese economy is on track for a gradual recovery," Dai-ichi Life Research Institute Chief Economist Yoshiki Shinke said in a statement.

All in all, Japan's economy has been doing well lately, mainly on the back of surging exports including smartphone parts and memory chips.

Investment linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has also boosted growth. Wage rises have been tepid, though, and the government has struggled to overcome years of deflation.

Falling consumer prices can discourage spending, with purchases being postponed on the assumption that prices will drop further.

hg/jd (AFP, Reuters)