Private-sector analysts have said they believe Japan's economy grew only slightly in the July-September quarter, due to a slowdown in personal consumption.

Their projections came ahead of the government's release of gross-domestic product figures on Friday.

Eleven research firms all expect that annualized GDP expanded in real terms from the previous three months. Their forecasts range between 0.3 percent and 1.2 percent, while estimates from nine of them are under 1 percent.

Japan posted its first growth in two quarters in the April-June period at an annualized rate of 2.9 percent.

All the 11 institutes believe personal spending continued to expand in the three months through September, but at a slower pace than in the previous quarter. Private consumption accounts for more than half of Japan's GDP.

The analysts say rising prices made consumers thriftier. They also pointed to an advisory issued in August about the risk of a possible mega earthquake, which kept many people at home.