Japan's industrial production index in February fell 2.3 percent from the previous month, marking the first decrease in three months partly because automakers had to halt factory operations amid heavy snowfall in the month, government data showed Monday.
Noting that "temporary factors" were behind the drop, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry maintained its basic assessment of production in the preliminary report, saying it "continues to show upward movement."
The seasonally adjusted index of output at factories and mines stood at 101.5 against the base of 100 for 2010.
By sector, production of transport equipment makers decreased 5.8 percent and that of general machinery makers lost 3.3 percent.
The index of industrial shipments lost 1.0 percent to 103.9 while that of inventories was down 0.8 percent to 103.8.
Looking ahead, manufacturers polled by the ministry expect output to increase 0.9 percent in March and drop 0.6 percent in April.