Japan’s core machinery orders, which exclude volatile sectors such as ships and electric utilities, plunged 12.4% mom to JPY 962.0 billion in May 2026, far worse than market forecasts for a 4.2% decline and a reversal from an 8.7% gain in the prior month. It was the third monthly decline so far this year and the steepest drop since December 2019, reflecting broad-based weakness in business investment. Orders from manufacturers dropped 14.9% (vs 5.1% in April), while non-manufacturing orders fell 9.3% (vs 6.7%). Among manufacturers, the steepest declines came from shipbuilding (-80.5%), information and communication electronics (-23.6%), and business-oriented machinery (-14.3%). In the non-manufacturing sector, orders weakened notably in real estate (-69.3%), transport and postal (-23.3%), and goods leasing (-18.6%). On an annual basis, machinery orders fell 1.5%, swinging from April's 15.6% surge and missing estimates for a 12.9% gain and pointing to the fastest drop in six months. source: Cabinet Office, Japan

Machinery Orders in Japan decreased 12.40 percent in May of 2026 over the previous month. Machinery Orders in Japan averaged 0.27 percent from 1987 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 25.50 percent in October of 1996 and a record low of -16.40 percent in September of 2018. This page provides the latest reported value for - Japan Machinery Orders - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Japan Machinery Orders MoM - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on July of 2026.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-06-16 11:50 PM
Machinery Orders MoM
Apr 8.7% -9.4% 0.9% 1.0%
2026-07-14 11:50 PM
Machinery Orders MoM
May -12.4% 8.7% -4.2% -3.0%
2026-08-18 11:50 PM
Machinery Orders MoM
Jun -12.4%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
BSI Large Manufacturing -1.80 3.80 percent Jun 2026
Changes in Inventories -1847.00 -1482.20 JPY Billion Mar 2026
Coincident Index 118.50 118.10 points May 2026
Eco Watchers Survey Current 44.00 43.60 points Jun 2026
Eco Watchers Survey Outlook 45.70 40.70 points Jun 2026
Leading Economic Index 116.80 116.10 Points May 2026
Machine Tool Orders YoY 203515.00 176833.00 JPY Million Jun 2026
Machinery Orders MoM -12.40 8.70 percent May 2026
Machinery Orders YoY -1.90 15.60 percent May 2026
New Orders 1687.06 1248.68 JPY Billion May 2026


Japan Machinery Orders MoM
In Japan, Machinery Orders measure the month-over-month change in private sector machinery orders, excluding highly volatile categories such as shipbuilding and orders from electric power companies. This indicator is considered a key gauge of capital spending and business investment intentions in the coming months.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-12.40 8.70 25.50 -16.40 1987 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
Japan Machinery Orders Fall More than Expected
Japan’s core machinery orders, which exclude volatile sectors such as ships and electric utilities, plunged 12.4% mom to JPY 962.0 billion in May 2026, far worse than market forecasts for a 4.2% decline and a reversal from an 8.7% gain in the prior month. It was the third monthly decline so far this year and the steepest drop since December 2019, reflecting broad-based weakness in business investment. Orders from manufacturers dropped 14.9% (vs 5.1% in April), while non-manufacturing orders fell 9.3% (vs 6.7%). Among manufacturers, the steepest declines came from shipbuilding (-80.5%), information and communication electronics (-23.6%), and business-oriented machinery (-14.3%). In the non-manufacturing sector, orders weakened notably in real estate (-69.3%), transport and postal (-23.3%), and goods leasing (-18.6%). On an annual basis, machinery orders fell 1.5%, swinging from April's 15.6% surge and missing estimates for a 12.9% gain and pointing to the fastest drop in six months.
2026-07-15
Japan Machinery Orders Rebound Sharply
Japan’s core machinery orders, which exclude volatile sectors such as ships and electric power, rose by 8.7% month-on-month to JPY 1,098.5 billion in April 2026, far exceeded market expectations for a 0.9% gain and marked a sharp rebound from the 9.4% decline recorded in March. The recovery was driven by a 5.1% increase in manufacturing orders to JPY 513.5 billion and a 6.7% rise in non-manufacturing orders excluding utilities to JPY 570.1 billion. Among manufacturers, strong gains were recorded in ship building (+160.7%), textile mill products (+61.7%), and non-ferrous metals (+51.3%). In the non-manufacturing sector, real estate (+107.7%), transportation and postal activities (+36.9%), and goods leasing (+32.7%) posted notable increases. On an annual basis, core machinery orders grew by 15.6%, beating market forecasts for a 9.3% gain and accelerating from a seven-month low of 5.9% rise in the preceding period.
2026-06-17
Japan Machinery Orders Fall the Most in 4 Months
Japan’s core machinery orders, which exclude volatile sectors such as ships and electric power, dropped 9.4% mom to JPY 1,010.9 billion in March 2026, reversing sharply from a 13.6% rise in the prior month and worse than market expectations for an 8.1% decline. It was the steepest decline in machinery orders since last November. Manufacturing orders shrank 14.2% to JPY 488.4 billion, due to weakness across most key industries, including non-ferrous metals (-88.0%), shipbuilding (-51.2%), other transport equipment (-31.2%), textile mill products (-30.2%), petroleum and coal products (-29.6%), and chemical products (-27.9%). Meanwhile, non-manufacturing orders fell 6.0% to JPY 534.3 billion, reversing a 0.8% rise in February. For Q1, machinery orders grew 6.4%. On an annual basis, core machinery orders rose 5.9%, easing sharply from a 24.7% surge previously, marking the softest growth since last November, when machinery orders fell by 6.4%, though the reading beat forecasts of 4.5%.
2026-05-20