Japan's output gap turned positive for first time in about six years - BOJ
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's output gap turned positive in January-March for the first time in about six years, the Bank of Japan said in its monthly economic report on Wednesday, in a positive sign that inflation is moving toward the central bank's price target.
The output gap was plus 0.6 percent in January-March, turning positive for the first time since April-June 2008, when the output gap was plus 0.7 percent.
The output gap - or the difference between actual and potential gross domestic product - has been showing Japanese growth falling short of its potential since 2008, when the global financial crisis saddled Japanese companies with substantial surplus capacity.
(Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
