Exports and production have started to increase since around last summer, but this had been supported by temporary factors such as an acceleration of automobile production to more than offset the impact of the Kumamoto Earthquake; however, they have maintained their uptrend thereafter and there is a steady rise in the number of items for which volume increased.
The recovery in exports and production has been even more persistent, reflecting the progress in inventory adjustments, mainly in capital goods and producer goods, in addition to a moderate increase in demand at home and abroad. As for the outlook, exports and production are projected to moderately  2  increase, with the growth rates in overseas economies increasing moderately.