JOIN USAccording to figures released today by the Japanese Cabinet Office, the country's economy was worth USD 1.29 trillion for the June quarter after it grew 0.4 per cent.
During the same period, China's economy was valued at USD 1.34 trillion.
Going by the World Bank, China's GDP was worth about USD 4.9 trillion in 2009, while that of Japan was USD 5.06 trillion.
The US remains the world's largest economy, valued at around USD 14.2 trillion. India is at 11th place, at USD 1.29 trillion.
Bolstered by strong exports and a huge population, China has been growing at a staggering pace in recent quarters. In contrast, the export-oriented Japanese economy is being adversely impacted by an appreciating yen. An ageing population is also cause for concern.
In comparison to Japan's second-quarter growth of 0.4 per cent, China expanded at a whopping rate of 10.3 per cent during the same period.
The Japanese economy, which was severely hit by the financial meltdown in 2008-09, was expected to grow by over 2 per cent in the second quarter. Japan had reported an economic growth of 4.4 per cent for the first three months of 2010.
In July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had projected the US and Japanese economies to expand by 3.3 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively.
According to the IMF, China's 2010 growth rate would be 10.5 per cent.