The economy may get another lifeline soon.
Faced with meager growth and a strong yen, leaders are moving toward injecting more stimulus measures to fight a sharp slowdown in momentum. A new package would set Japan apart from the rest of the developed world, which is winding down stimulus steps even as worries grow about a cooling global economy.
Gross domestic product data earlier this week showed Japan grew at an annualized rate of just 0.4 percent in the April-June period, down from 4.4 percent the previous quarter. As a result, the country lost its place to China as the world's No. 2 economy.