Industrial production in Japan was up a seasonally adjusted 1.7 percent on month in June, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Thursday.
That beat forecasts for a decline of 0.7 percent following the 0.1 percent contraction in May.
On a yearly basis, industrial production was up 4.0 percent.
Upon the release of the data, the METI maintained its assessment of industrial production, saying that it continues to fluctuate indecisively.
Shipments were down 0.8 percent on month and up 3.8 percent on year, while inventories fell 0.4 percent on month and 3.2 percent on year. The inventory ratio was up 0.8 percent on month and 1.9 percent on year.