The economy grew much faster than estimated in the first quarter, bolstering views that Japan is recovering from the first stage of the consumption tax hike last year that caused a brief recession, the government said Monday.

In a revision, the Cabinet Office said gross domestic product grew at a real annualized rate of 3.9 percent in the January-March quarter, bounding over the 2.4 percent rate listed in its preliminary report on May 20.

The change in inflation-adjusted GDP corresponds to an increase of 1.0 percent from the previous quarter, rather than 0.6 percent as initially reported, it said.