The nation's industrial production fell a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent in April from the previous month for the second straight monthly dip, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
The decline was 2.1 percent in March.
The figures are based on the index of output at mines and factories, which fell to the same level as the 1995 base of 100, its lowest reading since July 1999, the ministry said.