Roundup: Japan's industrial production stalls in Sept. in further sign of economic malaise

Japan's industrial output stalled in September as private consumption and household spending remained strained and overseas demand continued to wane, government data indicated Monday.

According to a preliminary report by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the index of output at factories and mines stood at 97.8 against the base of 100 in 2010.

The reading equates to an unchanged 1.3 percent increase logged in August, with the figure for the July-September period logging a mediocre 1.1 percent rise from the previous quarter, the trade ministry said.

The ministry also said of the manufacturers it polled, expectations are now for a mere 1.1 percent increase in output in October followed by a slightly more optimistic 2.1 percent rise in November.

The government, however, maintained its basic assessment, stating that "industrial production shows signs of increase at a moderate pace."

The data set, specifically, showed that the index of industrial shipments rose 1.1 percent to 95.7 in the recording period, but inventories retreated 0.4 percent to 111.0.

While the ministry evidently sees an uptick in factory production in the coming months, market economists remain somewhat more circumspect, believing that key drivers are lacking and hence the incentive for producers to increase their output remains elusive, which will have a negative knock-on effect on the nation's gross domestic product.

"Looking at the (industrial) production report, I think GDP will lack strength and post a small gain, which would increase calls for stimulus measures to boost growth," Toru Suehiro, a senior market economist at Mizuho Securities Co. was quoted as saying.

"There is no sector that can drive growth in the long term and the focus now will shift to GDP for July-September," Suehiro said.

With the trade ministry also saying Monday that retail sales had slumped in the same recording period, falling 1.9 percent from a year earlier and at a bigger margin that median market expectations, in twine with core consumer prices falling 0.5 percent this month from a year earlier, marking the seventh straight month of declines, pressure is now on the government and the central bank to take proactive measures.

However, the exigent state of Japan's economy and the failings of numerous installations of the prime minister's "Abenomics" brand of economic policies, against a backdrop of a rapidly aging society and shrinking population, threaten to further batter Japan's economy, if sustainable solutions aren't actualized forthwith and beyond the government's rhetoric.

To this end, Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has expressed his frustration with the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for its ineffectual endeavors to lift the economy out of its decades-long malaise.

Kuroda said recently that the central bank will likely once again fail to achieve its 2 percent inflation goal within a time frame that has already been delayed four times, with the central bank chief imploring Abe and his government to refocus its attention on the economy and do more to fulfill its pledge to the electorate to rescue, reform and reboot the stagnant economy.

"As for the long-term economic outlook, given Japan's aging population and low birth rate, an increase in labor force participation and a further rise in labor productivity are both essential if Japan is to lift sustainable long-run growth. Indeed, labor market reform is a vital part of the current government's policy agenda," the BOJ chief said.

The BOJ starts a two-day meeting on Monday and is expected to review its inflation outlook and monetary policy, although leading economists believe the central bank will, for the time being, stand pat on its current policy paradigm. Endit