Tokyo - Japan's industrial production declined a seasonally adjusted 1.5 per cent in August from the previous month, the government said Tuesday.
The figure was worse than the 0.3-per-cent rise predicted by analysts surveyed by the Nikkei business daily, following a 0.4-per-cent rise in July.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its basic assessment, saying industrial production “has weakened.”
The index of production at factories and mines stood at 95.5 against a baseline of 100 for 2010, the ministry said.
Electrical machinery, transport equipment and general-purpose, production- and business-oriented machinery industries contributed to the bulk of the decline in August, the ministry said.
Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expected industrial production to jump 6 per cent in September and edge down 0.2 per cent in October.
The index of industrial shipments fell 1.9 per cent in August from the previous month to 94.1, and that of industrial inventories rose 1 per cent to 112.7, the ministry said. - Sapa-dpa