Japan Overtakes U.S. in Per Capita GNP

Japan’s economy grew by 4.2% and its per-capita gross national product overtook the United States’ last year, the Economic Planning Agency reported today.

The agency said Japan’s per-capita GNP--the output of goods and services for each member of the population--reached $19,642, compared with $18,403 in the United States. This was attributed mainly to the yen’s rise against the U.S. dollar.