Industrial production in Japan fell a seasonally adjusted 0.9 percent in February from a month early, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said on Tuesday in a report.

According to METI, the production index stood at a seasonally adjusted 91.3, against the base of 100 for 2005, in February, marking the first decline in 12-months, however, the government noted that production rose 31.3 percent from a year earlier.

Industries contributing to the decrease in February were those related to transport equipment, manufacturing and information and communications, the report indicated, revealing that the production of electronic toys, active matrix LCDs (Liquid Crystal Devices) and large and small cars, were commodities contributing to the decline.

Shipments also fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in February from the previous month although rose from a year earlier by 28.7 percent. Inventory and inventory ratio gained 1.0 and 1.8 percent respectively in February from a month earlier, METI said.

According to the Survey of Production Forecast in Manufacturing, production in Japan is expected to increase 1.4 percent in March and decrease 0.1 percent in April, the ministry said stating that industrial production continues to show an "upward movement."