In a move indicating the global scope of the recession, Honda Motor Co. is expected to cut its production levels in Japan by more than 150,000 units in the coming fiscal year, bringing its "at home" output under 1 million vehicles for the first time in 14 years.

The report, published in the Nikkei business daily, said Honda will sets the forecast for its domestic production at slightly above 950,000, considerably lower than the forecast of 1.15 million units for the fiscal year that will end on March 31.

Honda, currently positioned as the number two automaker in Japan, has fought sluggish sales both at home and abroad. The official announcements of production targets will be made by the company on Monday, March 2.

Going into the announcement, Honda has a 34 percent decline in global production in January compared to a year earlier, with its worldwide output down 43 percent. In the United States, Honda sales were down 27.9 percent for January with analysts predicting even steeper losses when the February results are made public on Tuesday.

The projected production dip below 1 million units will be the first for Honda's Japanese factors since the fiscal year 1996-96 when output stood at 955,660 during a corporate management crisis.