Japan's capacity utilization rate fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.8% month over month in April, according to data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released on Friday.
The latest pace of drop eased from the 1.2% decline in the prior month. However, it missed market expectations for a 2% rise, according to Trading Economics.
The index of capacity utilization stood at 102.9 points against the 2020 baseline of 100, reflecting that capacity use remained above its baseline level despite slowing from the previous month.