Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in January from the previous month for the sixth straight monthly increase, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.

The index of output at mines and factories stood at 105.2 against the base of 100 for 2000, the highest reading yet, METI said in a preliminary report.

The six-month consecutive gain was also the longest based on the 2000 standards, beating five months of expansion from July to November 1999, a METI official said.