Industrial production unexpectedly rebounded in July as demand in Asia helped exporters withstand a slump in shipments to the U.S., trade ministry data showed Friday.
Factory output gained 0.9 percent from June, when it fell 2.2 percent, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. The median estimate of 37 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 0.3 percent decline.
The figure may not be strong enough to alleviate concern that the U.S. slowdown is spreading around the world, threatening Japan's longest postwar expansion. Both the Bank of Japan and the government cut their economic assessments this month after sluggish exports and weak consumer spending caused gross domestic product to contract last quarter.