Thai flooding dents November Japan factory output

TOKYO, Dec 28 (AFP): Japan's industrial output shrivelled in November, figures showed Wednesday, as flooding in Thailand added to woes for companies already battling a strong yen and the global economic chill. Factory production dropped 2.6 percent month-on-month, worse than market expectations of a 0.7 percent fall, government data showed. Production of passenger cars and mobile phones were among the hardest hit as Japanese-run plants in Thailand were crippled by devastating floods that hit the country. Output rose 2.2 percent on month in October. "The biggest factor behind the November reading was the flooding in Thailand," said Satoshi Osanai, an economist at Daiwa Institute of Research. "Factories in Thailand hardly operated early in the month."s