Japan machine tool orders jump 45% in April, near record high

Orders surge to second highest level on record as AI and robotics fuel global demand.

Japan’s machine tool industry recorded a sharp year-on-year rise in orders in April, with total order value reaching 188.97 billion yen, according to figures released by the Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association on June 2. 

The figure represented a 45.1% increase on the same month of the previous year and marked the tenth consecutive month of year-on-year growth. 

It also extended a streak of monthly orders exceeding 120 billion yen to 14 consecutive months, reaching the second highest level ever recorded — just behind March 2026’s 193.47 billion yen, which set the all-time peak. 

Orders fell 2.3% compared with March, the first month-on-month decline in three months, though the JMTBA attributed the dip to normal fluctuation and expressed confidence that underlying demand remained robust. 

Foreign orders were the principal engine of growth, totalling 139.68 billion yen — up 45.8% year on year and extending their own streak of consecutive year-on-year gains to 19 months. 

Asia led the way, with orders from the region rising 58.1% over the same period last year to 76.27 billion yen. Europe contributed 20.28 billion yen, up 47.2% year on year, while North America accounted for 41.06 billion yen, a 28.2% increase on April 2025. 

Domestic orders reached 49.29 billion yen, up 43.4% year on year despite slipping 2.4 per cent from March. Within the domestic breakdown, motor vehicles surged 34.0% against the previous month, and aircraft, shipbuilding and transport equipment climbed 30.7%.

Industrial machinery fell 14.6% month on month, whilst electrical and precision machinery edged up 5.8%. 

Looking ahead, the JMTBA said it expects further growth in equipment demand, driven by policy support measures underpinning domestic investment and by strong international appetite for machinery used in AI and robotics applications — factors the association said would offset uncertainty stemming from the global trade environment.