In this case it doesn't so much seem to be the weather which is being given the reponsibility, but rather the earthquake:
``Industrial production was affected by the earthquake, but if you look at the outlook, we needn't be too concerned,'' Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Hiroko Ota said at a regular press conference in Tokyo.
However, if we look at the chart for the rate of annual increase by month, we will see that this has now been slowing since February, and maybe my memory is short but I don't recall earthquakes in March, April, May or June.
