2012.04.2601:41:00UTC+00Japanese All Industry Activity Decreases For Second Month

Japanese all industry activity declined for a second consecutive month in February amid a contraction in production, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry showed Thursday.

The all industry activity index dropped 0.1 percent month-on-month in February, following a 1 percent decline in January and 1.7 percent gain in December. The pace of decline, however, was slower than the 0.2 percent drop expected.

Industrial output fell 1.6 percent from a month earlier, marking the first fall in three months. Construction activity grew 4 percent during the month.

Activity in government services fell for a third successive month. The index dropped 0.8 percent in February. The tertiary industry activity recorded no change.

On a yearly basis, the all industry activity index rose 1.3 percent after logging a 0.4 percent drop in January.