Vi e w p o i n t | 17 Aug 2026 05:16:49 ET │ 9 pages Japan Economics n Japan Economics First print of Q2 GDP: Heavily reflects impact of Middle East conflict CITI'S TAKE The first preliminary estimate of real GDP growth for Q2 came in at +0.3% QoQ and +1.1% annualized, falling short of the market consensus (+0.5% QoQ, +2.0% annualized) and decelerating from +0.5% (+1.9% annualized) in Q1. Nonetheless, this marks a third consecutive quarter of positive growth. The breakdown was broadly reflective of the impa ...