Workers assemble Honda Motor Co. North America-bound Fit vehicles on the production line at the company's Suzuka factory in Suzuka, Mie, Japan, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
TOKYO: Japan's factory activity shrank at the slowest pace in five months in May as the decline in new orders eased, but worries over U.S. tariffs have dampened the recovery from an almost year-long contraction, a private-sector survey showed on Monday.
The final au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 49.4 in May from 48.7 in April, marking the 11th consecutive month of staying below the 50.0-line that indicates contraction.
