In December, Japan's industrial production rose by 0.3 percent from the previous month, as reported in the preliminary figures released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) on Friday. This increase surpassed expectations, which had anticipated a 0.1 percent decline following a 2.2 percent decrease in November.
On an annual basis, however, production experienced a decline of 1.1 percent. Despite this, METI stated that the overall trend of industrial production remains inconsistent.
Further data revealed that shipments increased by 0.5 percent month-over-month but fell by 2.4 percent compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, inventories decreased by 0.7 percent monthly and 2.0 percent annually. The inventory ratio also dropped by 1.6 percent month-over-month but rose 1.9 percent year-over-year.
Looking ahead, METI's industrial production forecast suggests an output increase of 1.0 percent in January and a further 1.2 percent in February.
