Industrial production fell for the first time in three months in May because automakers did not launch new models, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report Thursday.
Output dropped a seasonally adjusted 1.0 percent in May compared with the previous month, while the index of output at mines and factories dipped to 104.0 against the base of 100 for 2000, METI said in the report. The market expected a 0.1 percent fall.
Nevertheless, METI kept its basic assessment of industrial output the same for the sixth straight month, saying, "Activity is gradually drifting upward."