Japan enters recession in July to September quarter (by V. Phani Kumar)

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japan's economy shrank for the second straight quarter during the July-September period, sending the country into a recession, according to official data released Monday. Gross domestic product fell 0.1% from the previous quarter, or at an annualized rate of 0.4%, figures released by the Cabinet Office showed. Economists expected the Japanese economy to expand 0.1% over the second quarter, according to a survey by Factset Research. Revised data for the April to June period showed GDP shrank 0.9% from the previous quarter.