Industrial production in Japan was down a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent on month in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Wednesday.
That missed expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent following the 1.1 percent gain in March.
On a yearly basis, industrial output fell 0.3 percent after slipping 0.6 percent in the previous month.
Upon the release of the data, the METI maintained its assessment of industrial production, saying that it shows signs of increase at a moderate pace.
According to the METI's forecast of industrial production, output is expected to rise 1.9 percent on month in May and 1.2 percent in June.
