The 4.0 percent jump in Japan's economy last quarter is Yukio Edano's worst nightmare. No, the lawmaker hoping to be the next head of the opposition Democratic Party isn't betting against his nation. But accelerating growth comes as he's trying to convince voters he has a better alternative than Abenomics.
Edano shouldn't just stay the course — he and his fellow DP bigwigs should pound the table even harder. They also should think much bigger and bolder.
Japan's gross domestic product is volatile and subject to sizable revisions. That said, the breakdown of this reading for the three months ending June 30 offers space for optimism. The growth spurt wasn't due to exports, but private consumption (up 0.9 percent) and business spending (up 2.4 percent). Japan has now had six straight quarters of growth, the longest run since 2006.