Industrial production in November plunged a seasonally adjusted 8.5 percent from the previous month, revised downward from a 8.1 percent drop in a preliminary reading, the government said Monday.
Industrial output suffered its steepest fall since comparable figures became available in February 1953, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. Output in export-oriented industries fell sharply, METI said, adding the downward revision is mainly a result of new poor figures coming in from pharmaceutical and electronic device sectors.
The index of output in mines and factories stood at 93.6 against 100 for the base year of 2005, the ministry said in a revised report. The index of industrial shipments fell 8.4 percent to 93.5, unchanged from the initial report, released Dec. 26. The inventory index grew 0.8 percent to 110.4, compared with the earlier reported 0.7 percent expansion.