Industrial production in February rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent from the previous month for the fourth straight month of gain, aided by solid demand for cars in and outside the country, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.
But prospects are bleak as the March data will include the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, with some analysts expecting production to log a sharper drop than during the 2008 global financial crisis.
METI maintained its basic assessment of production, saying output "continues to show an upward movement."