Unexpectedly strong growth in the last quarter propelled Japan?s economy once again into being a world leader, promising an end to 15 years in the doldrums when periodic economic revivals dissolved into false dawns.

The world?s second biggest economy grew 1.4 per cent in the fourth quarter ? far in excess of the 0.3 per cent growth recorded in the US and growth of 0.4 per cent in the European Union.