TOKYO - Japan's industrial output in April rose 0.8 percent from the previous month, marking the first increase in three months, as gains in machinery and chip-related devices made up for falls in motor vehicles and chemicals, government data showed Friday.
Data showed that the resource-poor country continued to see a fall in naphtha, an oil-derived raw ingredient necessary to make chemicals used in a wide range of products. But an industry ministry official said that the decline in the chemicals sector was due to regular maintenance at the plants.
"It is hard to say whether there was an impact of the Middle East situation on the overall industrial output," the official said, adding the government will continue to closely monitor the development in the region.
The April expansion followed an upwardly revised contraction of 0.4 percent in March, which had been dragged down by slower production of chemical products amid supply disruptions of naphtha due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the U.S.-Israeli attacks in late February.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its basic assessment of industrial production from the month before, saying it "fluctuates indecisively."
The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 102.8 against the 2020 base of 100, the ministry said in a preliminary report.
Seven sectors saw output increases, led by general-purpose and business-oriented machinery due to strong demand for conveyers and cranes used for construction. Output of semiconductor-related instruments and notebook computers were also firm in the electrical machinery, information and communication electronics equipment sector.
The eight sectors that declined included motor vehicles, reflecting slower demand for passenger cars and trucks, inorganic and organic chemicals and petroleum and coal products.
Based on a poll of manufacturers, the ministry expects output to jump 5.1 percent in May and contract 0.4 percent in June.
In April, the index of industrial shipments climbed 1.5 percent to 101.2, while that of inventories was down 0.2 percent at 96.1.
