After Strong Growth in First Half of 2013, the Japanese Economy Hits a Snag TOKYO - After a surprising spurt of strong growth in the first half of the year, the Japanese economy seems to be running out of steam as exports and consumer spending show signs of weakening. Preliminary figures released on Thursday indicated that growth in Japan's gross domestic product slowed to an annualized rate of 1.9 percent in the third quarter of 2013, down from 3.8 percent in the second quarter. Growth had benefited from a bold monetary and fiscal push by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to stimulate the economy. The latest growth rate exceeded the average 1.6 percent rate predicted by a Nikkei poll of economists, who also forecast growth to pick up somewhat in the fourth quarter. Still, the recent slowdown takes some of the shine off what had been a bright spot for an otherwise lackluster year for the global economy. On a quarterly basis, the Japanese economy grew 0.5 percent from the previous three months. A slowing economy puts more pressure on Mr. Abe to deliver on his much-promoted effort to improve Japan's long-term growth prospects. Recent delays on measures that would liberalize Japan's labor market or level the playing field for Internet-based start-ups have raised questions over how committed Mr. Abe remains to his proposals, especially when they encroach on powerful vested interests. One reason for the recent slowdown was a drop in net exports. Ever since Japan was effectively forced to close its nuclear reactors after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, its energy import costs have soared, hurting its balance of trade. And exports to Asia slowed amid concerns over growth there. In the three months to September, however, a surge in smartphone shipments to Japan also made a dent in its trade balance. The popularity in Japan of Apple's new iPhone 5S is likely behind that jump in shipments, Kyohei Morita, a Barclays chief economist, wrote in a report this week. Imports grew by 2.2 percent, while exports fell 0.6 percent, according to figures released by the government's Cabinet Office. A slowdown in private consumption to just 0.1 percent growth, down from 0.6 percent in the previous quarter, was also behind the falloff. A breather from the feverish stock market rally that hit Tokyo in the first half of the year has slowed luxury purchases. More worrisome, companies have been averse to start raising wages despite a rebound in their profits, a reluctance that Mr. Abe has taken to complaining loudly about. Buoying growth was a 2.7 percent jump in housing investment, as Japanese consumers race to make big-ticket purchases ahead of a planned rise in the national sales tax in April. Corporate investment rose 0.2 percent, while government spending jumped 6.5 percent as Mr. Abe continues to buttress monetary easing with fiscal stimulus. Any further slowdown could spur Japan's central bank to expand its already aggressive easing program. Haruhiko Kuroda, the Bank of Japan governor, has promised that he will do "whatever it takes" especially to cushion against the effects of Mr. Abe's planned increase in Japan's sales tax. The government has also promised a 5 trillion yen ($50 billion) spending package to ease the pain of higher taxes. There is increasing pressure on Mr. Abe to shift his attention to his promised economic overhaul, however. And here, some executives see government commitment slipping. Hiroshi Mikitani, a web commerce entrepreneur and early supporter of Mr. Abe's economic policies, assailed the government this week after it fell short on a promise to relax rules that limit sales of over-the-counter drugs on the Internet. The consequence of laxer rules on Internet drug sales is not huge. Still, a dispute over those rules between a powerful lobby of brick-and-mortar pharmacies and online newcomers like Mr. Mikitani's Rauten mall has come to symbolize a wider battle to inject more competition into the Japanese economy. The government has also appeared to step back from measures that could bring more fluidity to the rigid labor market. At the same time, Tokyo's negotiations over an emerging pan-Pacific trade pact led by the United States face opposition from an influential farming bloc. "It's ridiculous," Mr. Mikitani said last week after the government decided to keep a ban on the Internet sales of some of the most lucrative drugs. If Japan can't change something small like this, it won't ever change.