Japan's factory output gain shows firms' resilience amid tariffs
Industrial production gained 1.7 per cent from the previous month, the Industry Ministry reported on Thursday (Jul 31). Output of transport equipment excluding cars, up 14.8 per cent, and electronic parts and devices drove the gains. Economists had expected a 0.8 per cent loss. Output increased 4 per cent from a year earlier, topping expectations of a 1.3 per cent gain.
Output of autos, which faced tariffs totalling 27.5 per cent on shipments to the US during the period, nudged 0.1 per cent higher from the prior month. Output for steel and non-ferrous metals declined by 0.5 per cent after US President Donald Trump doubled the duty on US imports of steel and aluminium to 50 per cent in early June.
'I think production increased in some areas to respond to rush demand in anticipation of the tariff hike,' said Yuichi Kodama, economist at Meiji Yasuda Research Institute. 'The trend is difficult to grasp due to such demand, but I think production largely remained flat on a quarterly basis.'
Seasonally-adjusted production advanced by 0.3 per cent in the quarter to June from the previous period, reducing the risk that the economy may have fallen into a technical recession in the period.
The gains are forecast to continue after the US and Japan reached a trade agreement with terms considered more favourable to Japan than had been feared. Last week's surprise deal will cut tariffs on US imports of Japanese cars to 15 per cent and apply the same rate on other products.
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Inventories fell 0.4 per cent in June, the third straight month of month-on-month declines, bringing the index down to 99.1, the lowest in just over three years. That indicates that manufacturers have room to add product in months ahead. Manufacturers estimated monthly production will rise 1.8 per cent in July and gain 0.8 per cent in August, according to Thursday's release.
Separately, retail sales exceeded estimates, rising 1 per cent in June from May and increasing 2 per cent from a year ago. Persistent inflation has kept consumer spending from posting sustained gains as households, contending with higher costs for essential goods, trimmed discretionary outlays.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, under pressure to do more to help households cope with inflation, has pledged cash handouts to spur consumption and undertaken steps to reduce utility costs. Ishiba's position was weakened substantially by his party's historic upper house election defeat earlier this month. He's said that he'd like to remain in office to ensure the implementation of the trade deal.
The production data come hours before the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) board concludes its latest policy meeting, where authorities are widely expected to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged. The focus will be governor Kazuo Ueda's assessment of the recent trade deal with the US. Officials see the possibility of mulling another interest rate hike this year after that agreement, sources familiar with the matter said last week.
'It will take more time for the impact of tariffs to be confirmed in hard data, so the BOJ is unlikely to raise interest rates today,' Kodama said. BLOOMBERG
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Suppliers who import Japanese wine to Singapore have told Mr Tan that they get little business from Japanese restaurants, which still view French and Italian wines as the apex. Mr Koga hopes that recognition in Singapore will help to spur interest back home. 'Japan takes pride in its craftsmanship and quality. But like Lexus or Suntory whisky, many products are valued at home only after earning praise abroad.' He also notes the improving quality of Japanese cheese, though this has proven a harder sell. The value of its Singapore exports has hovered around 21 million yen since 2020, through worldwide demand has inched up from 520 million yen to 608 million yen over the same period. However, some fine-dining restaurants have started to pave the way for this new category of cheese. For example, newly minted one-Michelin-starred restaurant Omakase@Stevens' summer menu features cheddar from Nagano. 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