The nation's industrial production in November fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent from a month earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Friday.

The margin of decline was smaller than the 1.8 percent contraction forecast in the preliminary report released in December, according to METI.

The change is measured by the ministry's index of output at mines and factories, which stood at 91 against the 1995 base of 100, compared with 90.9 in the preliminary report.

The index of industrial shipments was 93.5, down 1.4 percent, unchanged from the preliminary report. The index of inventories fell a revised 1.4 percent to 95.4, compared with the previously reported 1.5 percent decline.

The ratio of inventories to shipments slipped a revised 0.2 percent, less than the 0.3 percent drop in the preliminary report, with its index standing at 114.

METI also said the capacity utilization index fell 1.5 percent in November to an adjusted 87.1, hitting a record low for the third straight month against the backdrop of excess capacity and slack demand amid the economic slump.

The reading was the lowest since the survey began in 1978, a ministry official said. The capacity utilization index is only released in revised production data.

The production capacity index declined by 0.2 percent from the previous month and 3 percent from a year earlier to an unadjusted 95.9, a level last seen in July 1990.

The year-on-year decline in output capacity continued for the 34th consecutive month and was the largest since the survey began in 1969, the official said.