Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released its preliminary industrial production data on late Monday evening. Preliminary industrial production in Japan climbed 0.3% in April, beating expectations for a 1.5% drop, after a 3.8% rise in March.

The increase was mainly driven by rises in chemicals (excluding drugs), electrical machinery, general-purpose, production and business oriented machinery.

According to a survey by the ministry, industrial production is expected to increase 2.2% in May and 0.3% in June.

On a yearly basis, Japan's industrial production was up 2.2% in April, after a 0.2% increase in March.