Tokyo, 28 April, /AJMEDIA
Japan’s industrial output in fiscal 2021 expanded at a record 5.8 percent from the previous year after two straight years of setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Thursday.
In the year through March, the index of production at factories and mines stood at 95.5 against the 2015 base of 100. The rate of increase, following a 9.6 percent plunge in the previous year, was the highest since comparable data became available in fiscal 2014.
The country’s output in March climbed 0.3 percent from the previous month as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic waned, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report, following a revised 2.0 percent rise in February.
The ministry retained its basic assessment for the reporting month that industrial production was showing signs of picking up.
Output in eight sectors including production machinery grew in March, while declining in seven sectors including automobiles.
“We will continue to watch for a potential rise in coronavirus infections, parts supply shortages and rising prices, in addition to monitoring the situation in Ukraine,” a ministry official told reporters.
