In September this year, Japan’s industrial production decreased by 5.4 percent compared to the previous month and fell by 2.3 percent compared to the same month in 2020, according to the preliminary indices of the Industrial Production report published by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
On the other hand, in September the Japanese iron and steel production index increased by 18.0 percent year on year, while Japan’s seasonally adjusted iron and steel production index was up by 0.2 percent in September compared to August. Meanwhile, in September Japanese producers’ iron and steel shipments decreased by 3.1 percent and iron and steel inventories increased by 4.5 percent, both compared to the previous month.
According to the ministry’s Survey of Production Forecast in Manufacturing, Japanese industrial production is expected to increase by 6.4 percent in October and by 5.7 percent in November, both on month-on-month basis. Meanwhile, Japanese iron and steel production is expected to decrease by 4.2 percent in October and to rise by 0.8 percent in November, month on month.