Japan's industrial output fell 9.5% from the previous year in fiscal 2020, to the lowest level since comparable data became available in fiscal 2013, with a broad range of sectors hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, government data showed Friday.
The country's output in March, however, rose 2.2% from the previous month, buoyed by a recovery from production disrupted by a major earthquake in February and firm demand for autos and chemical products, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
In the year through March, the seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 90.4 against the 2015 base of 100, down for the second consecutive year.