text: EPA says economic assessment unchanged by GDP data . TOKYO 1996-12-06 Japan 's Economic Planning Agency has not changed its view that the economy is gradually recovering , despite relatively weak gross domestic product figures released on Tuesday , EPA Vice Minister Shimpei Nukaya told reporters on Friday . He said the GDP growth was weak but that this reflected the economy between July and September and did not take into account more recent data . When asked about the outlook for the fiscal year beginning in April , Nukaya said the economy may slow down in the early part of the fiscal year due to a planned consumption tax hike , but that would be only temporary . The consumption tax will be raised to five percent from three percent from April 1 .