Japanese industrial output rose 1.5 per cent in April, and the jobless rate stayed at its lowest level in nearly eight years, government data showed today.
The updated data suggested that a modest but stable economic recovery is intact.
The rise in output was just below the market's consensus forecast of 1.8 per cent, but the data showed manufacturers expect their output - the core component of industrial production - to rise 0.2 per cent in May and gain a further 1.3 per cent in June.
Although the figures were not particularly strong, they generally supported expectations that the Bank of Japan would end its zero interest rate policy in the coming months.
The jobless rate was unchanged from March at 4.1 per cent, staying at its lowest level in nearly eight years.
The unemployment rate hit a record 5.5 per cent several times in 2002 and 2003, but it has been gradually falling since then as businesses began hiring again as their earnings recovered.
The jobs-to-applicants ratio rose to 1.04 in April, meaning 104 jobs were available per 100 applicants. This was up from 1.01 in March and matched the level hit in February, which it was the highest since August 1992.