TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's industrial output unexpectedly fell 0.8 percent in January, posting the first decline in six months, government data showed on Tuesday.
The month-on-month fall compared with a median market forecast of a 0.3 percent rise and a revised 0.7 percent gain in December, data by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) showed.
Manufacturers surveyed by the ministry expect output to rise 3.5 percent in February but fall 5.0 percent in March, it showed.
For the full tables on METI's website: https://bsmedia.business-standard.comwww.meti.go.jp/english/statistics/tyo/iip/index.html
For more background, please see this PREVIEW
(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)