Despite official figures indicating the Japanese economy is growing for the first time for over a year, stocks on the Tokyo market have plummeted. The Nikkei index fell 3.1 percent, its biggest daily fall for five months.

The main reasons for the drop are worries about the United States consumer market and the devaluation of the US dollar against the Japanese yen.

Investors and analysts also fear that the present economic growth may be temporary. Market experts say the economy could move back into recession when government stimulation packages are used up.

The Japanese economy showed growth of 0.9 percent in the second quarter of this year. Japan's is the world's second largest economy.

photo: flickr/artemuestra