Japan industrial output in May rises 0.5% on month
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's industrial output in May edged up 0.5 percent from the previous month, with the transport equipment and chemicals sectors making up for weak machinery production, government data showed Tuesday, logging a modest gain despite risks posed by the Middle East conflict.
The May outcome followed a downwardly revised rise of 0.5 percent in April. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry maintained its basic assessment of industrial production from the month before, saying it "fluctuates indecisively," and expects output to also rise in June for the third straight month of increase.
The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 103.0 against the 2020 base of 100, the ministry said in a preliminary report.
The increase was led by the transport equipment sector excluding motor vehicles, where aircraft engine parts saw robust demand from overseas, followed by inorganic and organic chemicals on the back of recovery in production of polyethylene and paraxylene, both derived from naphtha.
The two chemicals regained output after plants that thermally crack naphtha were brought back online after a regular checkup, a ministry official said.
On the impact of the Middle East conflict on the overall output, the official said it is difficult to say.
Of the total of 15 sectors, eight declined, including general-purpose and business-oriented machinery, electrical machinery, and information and communication electronics equipment.
By product, analytical instruments for medical institutions, belt conveyors, notebook computers and semiconductor-related measuring devices were among those that saw decreases in production, the official said.
Based on a poll of manufacturers, the ministry expects output to rise 3.7 percent in June and stay flat in July.
In May, the index of industrial shipments inched up 0.6 percent to 101.6, while that of inventories was down 0.6 percent at 95.4.
Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260630/p2g/00m/0bu/009000c
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