The nation's industrial production in January grew the most since 2011, indicating the economy is strengthening as a looming consumption tax bump stimulates demand, while inflation matched the highest level in more than five years.
Output rose 4 percent in January from the previous month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday, more than a 2.8 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 33 economists. Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 1.3 percent from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
Economic growth is set to surge this quarter as consumers and businesses splurge ahead of the sales tax increase in April.