Japan Feb industrial output down 6.2% month-on-month

[TOKYO] Japan's industrial output fell 6.2 per cent in February after the prior month's solid gain, government data showed on Wednesday, underscoring fragile factory activity due to sluggish demand both at home and abroad.

The month-on-month fall compared with economists' median estimate for a 6.0 per cent decline and marked the biggest drop since March 2011, when the devastating earthquake in Japan crippled the country's supply chain.

It followed a 3.7 per cent gain in January, which was the first increase in three months.

Manufacturers surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect output to rise 3.9 per cent in March and increase 5.3 per cent in April.

REUTERS