The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 103.6 against the 2020 base of 100, reversing a 0.9 percent decline in April, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
The ministry attributed the overall rise to the auto-recovery as Daihatsu, which completely stopped domestic production in December after admitting that safety test data had been rigged for most of its models, fully resumed operations in early May.
Car parts suppliers also ramped up production in response to the pickup, making up for decreased output of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other production machinery, according to the ministry.
The index of industrial shipments gained 3.5 percent to 103.5, while that of inventories rose 1.1 percent to 103.5.
Overall, in the reporting period, 13 of the 15 surveyed industrial sectors reported higher output while two logged declines.
The ministry retained its basic assessment from the previous month that industrial production "showed weakness while fluctuating indecisively."
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