Industrial output rose 0.6 percent in November from the previous month on robust exports of chip-making devices, prompting the government on Thursday to declare for the first time in more than 20 years that production is recovering.
The seasonally adjusted index of output at factories and mines expanded for the second consecutive month — the first back-to-back rises this year — to 103.6 against the base of 100 for 2010, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report. It rose 0.5 percent in November.
Production "is picking up," the ministry said, upgrading its assessment. The previous phrase used to say industrial output "shows picking up movement." It previously said industrial output "shows picking up movement."