Japan falls back into recession
Japan has fallen back into recession, after its economy shrank by 0.8 per cent on an annualised basis in the third quarter of 2015.
The economy of Japan receded by 0.7 per cent in the second quarter: a technical recession occurs when there are two consecutive months of negative growth.
The economy fell 0.2 per cent between the second and third quarters.
Read more: Has Abenomics failed?
Along with the Paris attacks, the new data from Japan has weighed on Asian markets. Japan's Nikkei was down 1.13 per cent in afternoon trading, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was 1.59 per cent down.
The Shanghai Composite fell less sharply by 0.3 per cent, while the ASX 200 was down 0.94 per cent.
Read more: As the UK emerges from recession, the country’s small businesses are flexing their muscles
It is expected that the figures will put pressure on Japanese policymakers to stimulate the economy further.
This is the fourth time Japan, the world's third largest economy, has entered recession since the global financial crisis.
Japan came out of its last recession in the fourth quarter of 2014.