The economy eked out a marginal increase of 0.5 percent in the October-December period from the previous quarter, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of growth, the Cabinet Office said Friday.
Economists said, however, that uncertainty over the economy has already caused people to reduce consumption and will deal a blow to the country's nascent recovery later this year.
The real gross domestic product -- the total value of goods and services within a country's borders -- rose 0.5 percent in the October-December quarter from the previous quarter, expanding at an annualized rate of 2 percent.