Japan March industrial output down 0.9 percent month-on-month

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's industrial output fell 0.9 percent in March from the previous month, down for the first time in two months, government data showed on Friday.

That compared with a 0.1 percent decline seen in a Reuters poll of economists, and followed a 0.7 percent increase in the previous month.

Manufacturers surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect output to rise 2.7 percent in April and increase 3.6 percent in May, the data showed.

(Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)