Japan's motor vehicle production rose 9.3 percent in May from a year earlier to 803,323 units, up for the second straight month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
"Although exports have been good recently, we cannot yet say that production is on a recovery trend," a JAMA spokesman said.
Car production grew 11.2 percent to 675,343 units, for the fifth straight monthly increase, the association said.
Of this, minivehicle production rose 11.1 percent to 101,553, a record high for the month of May.
"Domestic sales for minivehicles have been strong, helped by the launch of new models," the spokesman said.
Bus production rose 12.7 percent to 5,348, up for the fifth straight month.
In contrast, output of trucks continued falling for the ninth consecutive month, down 0.5 percent to 122,632 units, JAMA said.
Of this, small trucks fell 16.7 percent to 29,814, a record low for the month of May, amid weak demand by businesses, the spokesman said.
Motorcycle output dropped 13.7 percent to 145,388, for the 10th straight monthly decline, the association said.