Japanese Factory Output Drops Again Even as Emergency Ends

Japan’s industrial production fell again in May and unemployment rose even as a nationwide state of emergency was lifted, showing the severity of the pandemic’s impact on the export-reliant manufacturing sector and the wider economy.

Factory output fell 8.4% from April as automakers cut back production further, the economy ministry reported Tuesday. Overall output slid from the prior month for a fourth straight month for the first time since 2012. The result was worse than any of the forecasts from 28 analysts, whose median projection was for a 5.9% decline.