Industrial output in Japan came in flat in August, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday.
That beat expectations for a decline of 0.8 percent following the 1.8 percent drop in July.
On a yearly basis, industrial production fell 3.8 percent after slipping 2.3 percent in the previous month.
Upon the release of the data, the METI announced its assessment of production to fluctuating indecisively.
Industries that saw increased production included petroleum and coal products, communications electronics equipment and fabricated metals. These were offset by declines among motor vehicles, iron and steel and transport equipment.
