Japan May factory output seen dipping for 2nd month on China lockdown- Reuters poll

By Kantaro Komiya

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's factory output probably fell in May for a second successive month due to supply chain disruptions caused by strict COVID-19 lockdowns in China, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.

Japanese industrial production in the month was likely 0.3% lower than in April, according to the median estimate of 18 economists in the poll.

That would follow a 1.3% slip in April, which was the first fall in three months.

"Bottlenecks from the semiconductor crunch and the components shortage due to China's Shanghai lockdown likely kept (Japan's) production weak," said Shumpei Fujita, economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

Some analysts, meanwhile, expected a slight increase in May factory output thanks to robust manufacturing of electronic parts and production machinery.