'Increasing signs of pick up' in Japan's economy

Japan's economy slipped again in the final quarter of 2012, according to preliminary data released by the cabinet office.

It shrank 0.1% in the three months to December, from the previous quarter.

That is equivalent to an annualised dip of 0.4% in gross domestic product.

The drop, which was not expected by experts, marks the third quarter in a row that the Japanese economy lost ground.

However, Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Tokyo that there are "increasing signs" of a pick up in the Japanese economy.