In January this year, Japan’s industrial production went up by 2.2 percent month on month and by 2.3 percent compared to the same month in 2025, 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 January the Japanese iron and steel production index went down by 1.7 percent year on year, while Japan’s seasonally adjusted iron and steel production index increased by one percent in the given month compared to December. Meanwhile, in January Japanese producers’ iron and steel shipments moved up by 4.3 percent and iron and steel inventories decreased by 0.9 percent, both compared to the previous month.
According to the ministry’s Survey of Production Forecast in Manufacturing, Japanese industrial production is expected to decrease by 0.5 percent in February and fall by 2.6 percent in March, both on month-on-month basis. Meanwhile, Japanese iron and steel production is expected to increase by 2.1 percent in February and decrease by 2.3 percent in March, month on month.