Japan's industrial production declined less than initially estimated in January, latest figures from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, cited by rttnews.

Industrial production fell 0.4 percent month-over-month in January instead of a 0.8 percent drop estimated earlier. It was the first decline in six months.

In December, production had risen 0.7 percent.

Inventories dropped 0.1 percent over the month, while it showed no variations in the preliminary data.

On an annual basis, industrial production climbed at a faster pace of 3.7 percent in January, following a 3.2 percent gain in the prior month.

Data also revealed that capacity utilization edged up 0.1 percent monthly in January, after 0.6 percent increase in December.