TOKYO, Nov 9 Reuters Japan39;s Honda Motor posted a 31 increase in operating profit for the September quarter on Thursday, lifted by stronger sales in the United States and a weaker yen, and raised its fullyear forecast by 20.

Japan39;s secondbiggest automaker by sales said operating profit totalled 302.1 billion yen 2.0 billion in the three months to Sept. 30, compared with an average 345.3 billion yen estimate in a poll of 10 analysts by LSEG.

Like its rivals, Honda has benefited from a weak yen and solid U.S. sales, which helped offset decreasing sales in China, where it faces growing price competition.

Honda raised its fullyear operating profit forecast to 1.2 trillion yen from the 1 trillion yen it had expected, largely in line with the 1.237 trillion yen average forecast from 21 analysts.

1 151.0600 yen

Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by David Dolan and Gerry Doyle

Source Reuters