Japan’s industrial production climbed a seasonally adjusted 1.5 per cent in September from the previous month for the first increase since July, the government said on Wednesday.
The figure, which was slightly below the 1.8-per-cent increase predicted by analysts surveyed by the Nikkei business daily, followed a 0.9-per-cent fall in August.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its basic assessment, saying “industrial production continues to show an upward movement.” The index of production at factories and mines stood at 98.5 against a baseline of 100 for 2005, the ministry said.
Transport equipment, electric parts and devices, and information electronic equipment industries contributed to the bulk of the rise in September, the ministry said.
Manufacturers polled by the ministry expected industrial production to jump 4.7 per cent in October and fall 1.2 per cent in November.
The index of industrial shipments climbed 1.6 per cent in September from the previous month to 97.0, and that of industrial inventories inched down 0.2 per cent to 108.3, the ministry said.