Japan’s industrial production falls in November

Tokyo: Japan’s industrial production for November fell 1.1 per cent from the previous month, the government said on Friday. The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 104.7 against the 2015 base of 100, the Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report. The ministry maintained its basic assessment that industrial production is “picking up slowly.” Manufacturing production is expected to increase 2.2 per cent in December and decline 0.8 per cent in January, the government added. The unemployment rate in Japan edged up for the second consecutive month in November, another government data showed on Friday. The seasonally adjusted rate stood at 2.5 per cent, up 0.1 per cent from the previous month, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. — Reuters