Overall Japanese industrial activity dropped for the second month in a row in March, according to a report released by Japan's Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry on May 24. The decline in March was recorded at 0.8 percent, smaller than the 2.3 percent month-on-month decrease seen in February. The year-on-year increase rate in March was 4.22 percent.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2010, overall industrial activity increased 1.3 percent quarter on quarter and was up 3.6 percent year on year.
In March, activity in the country's construction industry regressed by 3.8 percent month on month, after rising for two consecutive months and decreased by 13.06 percent year on year. In the first three months of 2010, activity in the Japanese construction industry increased by 0.7 percent over the last quarter of 2009 and declined 12.33 percent year on year.
On the other hand, industrial production rose 1.2 percent in March compared to the previous month, following a 0.6 percent drop in February, and was up 29.86 percent year on year. In the first quarter of 2010, the country's industrial production rose seven percent quarter on quarter and was up 27.09 percent as compared to the first quarter of 2009.