Japan second-quarter GDP expands annualised 1.9 percent - government

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy expanded at an annualised rate of 1.9 percent in April-June, bouncing back from a contraction in the previous quarter, government data showed on Friday, in a sign its recovery momentum remained intact.

The preliminary reading for second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) compared with a median estimate for a 1.4 percent annualised increase in a Reuters poll of economists.

It followed a revised 0.9 percent annualised rate of contraction in the first quarter, the Cabinet Office data showed.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP grew 0.5 percent, versus the median estimate for a 0.3 percent increase.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara and Stanley White; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)