Japan’s industrial production rose 4.3% month-over-month in January 2026, exceeding the preliminary estimate of a 2.2% increase and sharply accelerating from an upwardly revised 0.6% gain in December. This marked the fastest pace of growth since at least June 2022, as manufacturers ramped up activity following year-end maintenance shutdowns.
The sectors contributing most to the rebound were motor vehicles (up 8.1% vs 0.4% in December), plastic products (up 6.0% vs 0.1%), and chemicals excluding inorganic and organic chemicals as well as pharmaceuticals (up 3.6% vs a 0.7% decline previously). On a year-on-year basis, industrial production increased 0.7% in January, after a 0.9% rise in December.