Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4 percent in November from the previous month, marking four straight months of gains, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.
The index of output at mines and factories stood at 103.5 against the base of 100 for 2000, the highest figure based on 2000 standards, which are also being applied to data from January 1998, METI said in a preliminary report.
The market had expected average month-on-month growth of 1.8 percent.
Based on the data, METI again left its basic assessment that industrial production "is on a moderately upward trend" unchanged.
The four-month streak in industrial production data is the first since the July-October period in 2002, a METI official said.
The gains in the index were mainly attributed to increased demand for boilers and boiler parts, as well as turbines for power stations and manufacturing plants, he said.
Production of cars for export to North America and Europe, as well as electronics parts and devices for mobile phones and digital gadgets also grew in November, the official said.
The index for electronics parts and devices production rose to 128.8 in November, the highest based on 2000 standards, he said.
Meanwhile, output of steel and cosmetics in the reporting month fell compared with October as the sectors entered production-adjustment phases.