Industrial production unexpectedly increased in September, potentially raising the bar for an expansion in stimulus when Bank of Japan policy-setters meet on Friday.
Output climbed 1 percent from the previous month, exceeding all 32 estimates in a Bloomberg survey in which the median forecast was a decline of 0.6 percent.
Electronic parts, devices and chemicals led the advance last month in the face of a Chinese slowdown that has undermined Japanese exports.
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