Industrial output in May rose 4.5 percent from the previous month, a sizable upward revision from a preliminary increase of 3.8 percent, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a report released July 15.
The production index for the nation's mines and factories, which use 1990 as the base year of 100, stood at a seasonally adjusted 105.2, which represents a 7.5 percent increase from a year ago, according to the report. With the latest figure, the ministry now estimates the production index for the April-June period at 102.8, the highest level under the current scale since 1990.
The operating ratio at industrial facilities for the reporting month came to 92.1, up 3.1 percent from the previous month, signaling an increase in new facility investment. A ministry official said that facility investment tends to start increasing after a certain time lag when the operating ratio exceeds 90.