Japan confirms China surpassed its economy in 2010

Japan confirmed Monday that China's economy surpassed its own as the world's second largest in 2010 and said a late-year downturn was its first quarterly contraction in more than a year.

Japan's economy expanded 3.9% in the calendar year - its first annual growth in three years. But it wasn't enough to hold off a surging China. Japan's nominal GDP last year came to $5.4742 trillion, less than China's total of $5.8786 trillion, the Cabinet Office said. (AP)