Japan's industrial production tumbles 6.6 percent on month in January

TOKYO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's industrial production dropped in January from a month earlier owing in part to a slump in output by automakers, the government said in a report on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, industrial production dropped 6.6 percent on month in December, following a revised 2.9 percent increase logged in December.

The ministry's preliminary report said the output at factories and mines stood at 99.5 in January against the base of 100 on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking the first time in four months the index has dropped.

The index of industrial shipments fell 5.6 percent to 98.3, the ministry's data showed, while that of inventories retreated 0.6 percent to 108.8 in the recording period.

Based on the latest data, the ministry downgraded its basic assessment of production from saying previously that it is "picking up" to saying it is "picking up slowly."

As for the outlook for factory output here, manufacturers said they expect production to jump 9.0 percent in February. Enditem