Japan Machinery Orders Rise at Record Pace

2026-02-19 00:20 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

Japan’s core machinery orders surged 19.1% month-on-month to ¥1,052.5 billion in December 2025, rebounding from an 11% drop in November and marking the strongest growth on record amid solid factory investment.

That also bear market expectations for a 4.5% increase, driven by one-off large bookings from refineries and nuclear fuel producers.

The rebound was led by a 25.1% jump in manufacturing orders to ¥498.3 billion, while non-manufacturing orders advanced 8.2% to ¥533.1 billion.

By industry, the largest increases were recorded in petroleum & coal products (499.9%), non-ferrous metals (207.1%), other non-manufacturing (83.5%), real estate (67.3%), and business-oriented machinery (67.1%).

On a year-on-year basis, private-sector orders climbed 16.8% in December, reversing a 6.4% contraction in November and surpassing forecasts for a 3.9% rise.

Core machinery orders are widely regarded as a volatile yet important leading indicator of capital expenditure over the next six to nine months.



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