Japan's economy grew an annualised 2.1 per cent in the first quarter, data showed on Tuesday, a sign it was on a solid recovery path before the energy shock caused by the Middle East conflict muddled the outlook. The increase in Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP) was bigger than the median market forecast for a 1.7 per cent gain and followed a revised 0.8 per cent rise in the previous October-December quarter. On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the economy grew 0.5 per cent compared with the median market forecast for a 0.4 per cent gain. Analysts expect growth to slow in the coming quarters as the fallout from ... (full story)