Published quarterly by the Bank of Japan and Cabinet Office. Cabinet Office estimates updated till the quarter of July-September 2019. Bank of Japan estimates updated till the quarter of July-September 2019 (Bank of Japan estimates published on January 8th, 2020)

Brief overview of "Output Gap"

Output Gap measures the difference between actual GDP of the economy and the highest sustainable GDP. The latter is called potential GDP, and the growth in the potential GDP is called potential GDP growth. The output gap is usually measured as a percentage of the potential GDP. 

The output gap is an important indicator for policymakers as it helps them to determine an appropriate policy for the economy. A positive output gap indicates a possible inflationary pressure within the economy and vice versa. It is also important for policymakers to understand the source of growth, either labour, capital or productivity. The Bank of Japan publishes a breakdown of growth by estimating contributions from Total Factor Productivity (TFP), labour and capital. 

In the recent history, Japan has experienced the severest negative output gap, exceeding more than 7% to GDP in early 2009 after the Lehman shock. Since then, the output gap has gradually closed, reaching zero in early 2014. However, since then, the output gap has remained steady. For the Japanese economy to experience a reflation, the output gap probably needs to further rise towards positive territory. Japan's potential growth rate has been on a gradual decline since the recent peak of 4 to 5% growth in the mid-1980s. Most recently, the potential growth rate is estimated to be close to zero. 

For more information, please visit the Cabinet Office website and the BoJ website.

For the estimation methodology employed by the BoJ, please see here.

Output Gap and Potential GDP based on SNA93

Next Release Date: April 3rd, 2020 (BoJ estimate)