JAPAN DATA: Japan’s industrial output will rise 7.4% in the
January-March quarter from October-December based on METI’s forecast
that production will gain 5.7% m/m in January and fall 1.2% in February
and assuming that it will be unchanged in March from the previous month,
a METI official said. December’s 3.1% rise was largely led by demand for
Japanese cars in North America and Europe, he said. Electronic parts and
devices, another driver behind the second-straight m/m rise in December,
saw demand coming equally from both domestic and overseas markets.