TOKYO, April 23 (Reuters) - Top Japanese auto maker Toyota Motor Corp plans to cut domestic output by six percent this business year as it shifts more of its production overseas, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper said on Wednesday.
Production figures for the business year that ended on March 31 will be announced on Thursday.
The newspaper said that the world's third-largest car maker expects to build between 3.0 and 3.3 million vehicles in Japan in the year from April, although it aims to keep sales stable at around 1.7 million units.
Toyota, like many of its domestic rivals, is increasingly shifting production to the regions where the cars will be sold to boost efficiency and reduce currency risks.
This year, Toyota is set to expand its output capacity in the key North American market by around 18 percent to 1.48 million units.
The shift in production is bad news for Japan's economy, which is already suffering from high unemployment and has relied significantly on exports for its marginal growth.
A spokesman at Toyota said he could not confirm the report, adding that production plans for this business year would be announced on May 8, along with its earnings results.
For calendar 2003 Toyota has said it would cut Japanese production by three percent from the previous year to 3.39 million units.
"We see an output level of between 3.0 and 3.5 million units in Japan as appropriate," said Toyota spokesman Shinya Matsumoto. He noted that output in calendar 2002 was neauters.net; +813 5473-3744))