Japan's economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter, marking a technical recession in the world's third largest economy. Gross domestic product fell at annualized 1.6 per cent from July to September, compared to forecasts of a 2.1 per cent rise. That followed a revised 7.3 per cent in the second quarter, which was the biggest fall since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The economy shrank 0.4 per cent in the third quarter from the previous one. Economists said the disappointing figures are likely to lead to a delay to the proposed increase of the country's sale tax.