Japan Jan industrial output rises 3.7% month on month

[TOKYO] Japan's industrial output rose 3.7 per cent in January, up for the first time in three months, government data showed on Monday, in what may be a temporary pickup in factory activity amid weak domestic and external demand.

The rise compared with economists' median estimate of a 3.3 per cent gain in a Reuters poll, data by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed.

Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expect output to fall 5.2 per cent in February and increase 3.1 per cent in March, the data showed.

REUTERS