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Productie in augustus daalt met 1,7 procent tegen verwachtingen in, terwijl vraag naar AI en een zwakke yen deels compenseren.

De industriële productie in Japan kromp in augustus voor de tweede maand op rij, wat wijst op toenemende druk op de fabrikanten in het land door de aanhoudende instabiliteit in het Midden-Oosten. De laatste cijfers van het Industrie Ministerie benadrukken hoe langdurige geopolitieke spanningen de fabrieksoutput beïnvloeden.

Augustuscijfers missen verwachtingen fors

Japan noteerde een daling van 1,7 procent op maandbasis in de industriële productie voor augustus. Economen hadden gerekend op een stijging van 1,3 procent. Op jaarbasis steeg de productie met 3,4 procent, ruim onder de verwachte 6,8 procent.

Several key sectors recorded lower output. These included automobile manufacturing, general-purpose machinery, industrial machinery, and petroleum products. In contrast, production of transport equipment other than cars showed gains.

Retail Sales Show Resilience

Separate data released by the ministry indicated that retail sales climbed 2.7 percent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, offering a brighter spot in the economic picture.

Geopolitical Pressures Hit Supply Chains

The weaker-than-expected results point to the effects of extended uncertainty linked to the conflict involving the United States and Iran. With the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed, higher oil prices and supply-chain interruptions have placed additional burdens on Japanese firms. Efforts to secure a reopening of the waterway have so far failed to produce results.

Washington has indicated plans to draw down as much as 40 million barrels from the country's strategic petroleum reserve to ease the situation.

Exporters and Tech Sector Find Support

A relatively weak yen has helped Japanese exporters overall, cushioning some of the impact from the Middle East situation. Strong global demand tied to artificial intelligence has provided particular strength to the technology sector. Officials expect output to stay firm in the months ahead.

The ministry projects industrial production will rise 3.2 percent in September and 3.1 percent in October. Japan's manufacturing PMI stood at 54.1 in September and has remained in expansion territory throughout the year.

Long-Term AI Investment Outlook

Worldwide spending on data centers to support rising AI requirements is forecast to total $31.6 trillion by 2050, according to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP report.